What are we talking about today?
I’m guessing that it is important to you that your family enjoys a peaceful home life. That you want everyone to feel comfortable in your home. That you want to be able to look around the kitchen and the living room and everything in between and have a sense of satisfaction that things are going well for your family.
Well, my friend, that means we have to take care of our home! Most of us wind up spending a LOT of time cleaning, decluttering, organizing, and dealing with the daily grind of home maintenance.
Today, I want us all to make a shift in how we think about the clutter and cleanliness of our home. How does it impact our RELATIONSHIPS? (Hint: It definitely does!) We’ll look at how our physical environment impacts our spiritual, mental, and relational health.
Ready for some encouragement, and a few practical tips along the way?
Let’s dive in.
Listen to Episode 75:
If today’s topic is meaningful to you, you’ll also want to check out these earlier podcast episodes that connect with this same topic:
- Episode 14 // One change to your morning routine that will boost your mood and bless your relationships
- Episode 59 // 25 quick, practical tips for your family’s year: build a happy marriage, peaceful home, and a great relationship with your kids
- Episode 69 // Daily sacrifice is the reality of a Christian mom … but how do we do it joyfully?
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Snag your resources here!
If taking care of the to-do list and managing your schedule is getting the best of you, check out my absolute favorite tool: The Hope Planner. This planner help me keep God first, family next, and the tasks and chores of home life in their proper place. (And still get them done.)
Let me also offer a FREE resource that I know will be helpful:
- When you’re stuck in a rut with your family relationships or home life, it’s time to reconnected. Grab my free 5-day email course: 5 Tools Every Busy Mom Needs to Move Her Family from Autopilot to Intimacy.
[This post may contain affiliate links. If a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.]
Today's Episode Highlights
We can easily get frustrated by the cleaning, decluttering, organizing, and all the other home maintenance tasks that are needed to create a peaceful home life.
But have you really considered how your clutter and cleaning habits impact your most important relationships?
Here are a few things to consider and be encouraged by…
Love God: Your Spiritual Health
- Are you thankful for what God has given you?
- Your physical environment is a chance to care for the resources God has given – your body, home, time, etc
- It easier to turn your mind toward prayer and praise when you’re not distracted by visual reminders of all the stuff you have to do.
- The home environment will either point our thoughts and desires toward material things, OR toward the things of God. (See Colossians 3:1-3!)
- The Bible is very clear that we must choose between loving the things of this world and loving God. Our stuff, our clutter, our mess reflects our heart’s priorities.
Love Yourself: Mental Health
- Anxiety is impacted by visual clutter. It fills our minds and hearts, and disrupts our emotional wellness.
- It is really frustrating when you want something that you know you own, but you can’t find it or easily get to it! If this happens often, you’ll just get more and more frustrated.
- Similarly, as moms we can experience a lot of guilt when we see our husband or children also struggling to find something they want. If your husband’s best work pants are still dirty because your laundry habits are struggling, and he’s heading to an important job interview, you probably aren’t going to feel very good about the situation.
- Are you spending more and more time on chores, cleaning, and organizing… and less and less time on self care?
- Did you know that when we clean up, we often feel better? It can be very encouraging and refreshing to see an immediate result of our hard work: a clean kitchen counter, an organized homeschool room, or any other success in creating a peaceful home!
Love Your Family
- There is more time for family togetherness when there is less to clean and take care of.
- Everyone can experience less frustration when they can’t find their things… this is not just a mom experience!
- Your family can save money by not re-purchasing items you already have. As you clean and declutter, it gives you an opportunity to notice what you have, use it, and get creative to solve problems without spending more money.
- As moms, we love taking care of our people. And it is easier to do special or thoughtful things for our family when we know where things go and it’s not a big deal to pick it up and put it there.
- Have you ever found yourself nagging your child to get a chore done? Complaining about the messiness of your home, your husband, or your child? When we have good family habits for cleaning and organizing, there is less need to nag, yell, or complain.
Love Others
- You can care for your neighborhood and community by donating items, caring for your yard and home, and not wasting resources.
- It is easier to live out God’s call for hospitality when you’re not worried about the mess in your living room.
- Once you’re spending less time on cleaning and organizing, you have more time not only for self care, not only for family quality time, but also for opportunities such as volunteering or grabbing coffee with a friend.
- You can spend less time, energy, and thought on your stuff and more time, energy, and thought on loving other people. Pray for them, call or write to them, or get together with them… because you’re not distracted by your to-do list in the home.
- You can enjoy the photos, artwork, and other mementos that loved ones have given you… because you can actually see them!
My personal 5-step process for “spring cleaning” and actually dealing with a mess.
I have found a lot of helpful ideas from Dana K. White! She has written several books about cleaning and decluttering, and runs the blog and podcast A Slob Comes Clean.
- Start with the visible surfaces (my desk, the kitchen counters, etc) and move everything to a new spot.
- Clean that surface.
- Now, as I pick up each item to put it back – put it back where it actually belongs! that may or may not be in the same location. Maybe I need to donate it. But it has a home – put it there.
- As I”m putting it back, consider how to best organize that item or that space so that it is aesthetically pleasing. Purchase a cute container? Find a box to put it in?
- At the end, move on to drawers or cabinets – the part of that space which is already hidden from view. Follow the same steps.
Friday Faith Follow-up
I spend a lot of time taking care of my home. The clutter is frustrating, the chores never seems to end, and nothing stays clean for more than five minutes.
And yet, this is the home God has given me. This home takes care of the people whom I love the most. But does my home reflect God’s Kingdom? Does my attitude toward my home and the way I use my home honor God?
Join me for a brief reflection on how our homes (and all the “stuff” in them!) impact the Kingdom, and find encouragement and hope for the clutter (or cleanliness!) of your home.
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A reminder of the Disclaimers & Disclosures Policy: I am an affiliate with many of the resources I recommend, which means I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through my provided links. I never recommend products I don’t love! Also, I am a licensed therapist but this podcast is not therapy. It is not professional or personal advice to your specific situation. Get info about professional counseling here.
