To walk with a perfect heart, to lead a life of integrity in my home means, among other things, to be honest with myself about the stuff in my house, and in my heart. And now I could focus so much better on what was important.Īnd I got a little taste of what it means to walk in my home with a perfect heart. I just wanted to do the “happy dance” all the way around the living room because I had really taken care of what I needed. We felt a wonderful sense of freedom.Īnd when I came downstairs the next morning and saw what we had accomplished, I was amazed at the difference this made in my mental attitude. But more importantly it was very empowering to get rid of things we didn’t use. And it felt great to have things better organized for our current lifestyle. We went through several hundred books, put all my Bible study books within reach of the new chair, reorganized others into new spots, and donated about 100 books, which we didn’t need or want any more, to a local library. So, when we got the new chair, we also rearranged where the books were. Not a big deal, but I didn’t always get up to retrieve the book I needed. Every time I wanted to use one, I had to get up, walk over there, and come back to reinstall myself in my prayer chair. Most of my Bible study books were in a book case across the room. It sits right between two book cases, but there were lots of books in these cases that we never use. Recently we got a new chair for the living room, which doubles as my “prayer chair” during my morning Bible study and prayer time. Here’s one little example of what that looks like in the case of de-cluttering. Getting back to the present, Polly (my wife) and I have been striving to walk in our home with a perfect heart and all that implies in every way. One time a friend rang the doorbell and I wouldn’t let him in the house because it was so messy.Īnd there have certainly been times when I was struggling with a moral issue, but acted like everything was fine. Hey, years ago when I was a full-time stay-at-home dad with three little kids, I did not always do the best job of keeping the house clean. Or maybe their houses are neat and tidy, but their hearts are full of negativity. Some people put on an appearance of having their lives all together when they are around others out in the world, at work, at church, at school, but at home, and in their hearts, their lives are a mess. No guilt, no shame, no emotional baggage, no procrastination of dealing with stuff, physical or mental. What an intriguing idea! To walk in my house with a perfect heart, to lead a life of integrity in my own home. Here’s the same verse from the New Living Translation: I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. My wife came across this verse in Psalms and it’s what really prompted our efforts to de-clutter. Where does the Bible fit in with all this?” Now, you may be wondering, “Hey James, it’s great you’re cleaning your house, but I thought this your website and podcast are about the Bible. Our goal has been to deep clean, de-clutter, to get rid of the things we no longer need, use, or love.
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