KonMari for the soul
Marie Kondo the clean-up queen from Japan has been taking the world and making it a tidier, happier place one Kon-Mari step at a time. If you are not familiar with this phenomenon, a quick google search will reveal that she has made a fortune on helping people tidy up their homes.
When her show came to Netflix I couldn’t resist jumping on the organising bandwagon. I watched as she thanked the home in a reverent prayer-like fashion. Then each person was asked to pull all their clothes out and make a big pile. Once they had pulled every single item out then they would go through each one, decide which one ‘sparked joy’ and then discarded or kept the item. If the item was discarded, it was also thanked for its service. This process was repeated for each category.
I was intrigued. Imagine if we took the time to examine our hearts like this!
Set aside time to really dig and investigate our own souls… Start with a reverent prayer of thanks to the One who intricately made us and gave us the heart that has looked after us all these years. So often we have trouble accepting ourselves, being thankful for what we are and have experienced.
Then we can begin to look deep inside and see what our values are, what memories established them. We can see the huge pile of baggage that we have inside. As we sort through each piece, we can thank each one for its place in our life so far. The troubles that have happened. Each bad experience. Each hurtful word. Each embarrassing moment. Each failure. As well as the triumphs, joys, idyllic moments, uplifting memories. They all had a place and role in our life. Then after examining it for ‘sparking joy’, we can put it aside for safe keeping or choose to leave it behind.
I think there is something to be said for digging deep and taking each issue in hand.
‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ 1 John 1:9.
Our battles with others can be from an inner deficit.
‘You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.’ James 4:2
Our ‘weaknesses’ aren’t something to hide or ignore. They are opportunities. God says,
‘My power is made perfect in weakness.’ 2 Cor 12:9.
If only cleaning our heart could be as easy as Kon-Mari. But we can take heart that it will spark much more joy!
‘Your consolations cheer my soul.’ Ps 94:19
