Day 58: De-clutter

Scripture to Memorize:
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Proverbs 31:26-27
Passage to Read:
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrainj,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speake.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-7
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I give you praise that you have created the order of everything and given everything a time. Therefore, I am to not become overwhelmed by doing everything at once. But I also need to realize that there are times when you want me to do the tasks of that season and not waste time doing things that it is not time to do. Holy Spirit give me the wisdom to trust this process and to know what needs to be done when. Make my arms strong for your tasks and my heart eager to obey. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
Personal:
Today Donna wants us to address any clutter in our homes and she gives three reasons to minimize clutter:
1. Clutter wastes time.
2. Clutter wastes money.
3. Clutter is dangerous.
It wastes time because you spend unnecessary time looking for things that are buried in cluttered stacks. According to Donna if you spend just fifteen minutes a day looking for stuff, you waste ninty hours a year.
Clutter wastes money because if you can't find something you often go to the store to replace it. These are unnecessary purchases. She asks the question "How many of us have five pairs of scissors--somewhere?
Clutter is dangerous because you can trip over the piles. Boxes can be a breeding ground for mold and bugs, and cardboard and paper can also be a possible fire hazard.
Today Donna wants us to attack the paper clutter in our house. We have already done quite a bit to de-clutter our homes. Here are the steps she suggests:
"First get rid of every outdated magazine, newsletter, and newspaper in your hourse. Every drop of information recorded by any reputable organization on the planet is now archived on the Internet. Throw out the periodicals you have collected. And don't save them as memorabilia. They are not; they're junk." She also suggests you sort your mail outside beside your trash can and immediately throw away all junk mail and not even bring it into your house. You can opt out of many junk mail lists by visiting www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing. There is a one dollar fee but it is worth it. Stop telemarketing calls by contacting www.donotcall.gov or by phone at 1-888-382-1222. "Next go quickly through all you paper piles wherever you find them. Make fast decisions. If you can find it on the internet throw it out. Keep only what you absolutely need. If you are unsure, put it in a bin labeled Important Papers. Once a year, go through the bin and throw out anything that's more than five years old" This is another thing that I do annually already. Mostly because I get tired of the clutter and also because of lack of space. My home is small and does not have a great deal of storage space.
Affirmation: There's a time to keep and a time to throw away.
Practical:
Spend fifteen minutes a day de-cluttering. Donna suggests de-cluttering while you are on the phone.