Now that the holidays are over, are you motivated to get rid of items you no longer need or want? You know the plan: Assess what you have and divide it into three categories—give away, throw away, and keep.
Have you thought about steps you can take to get rid of marital clutter? Develop an ongoing habit to discard and organize. This approach to marital reorganization will benefit your emotional and physical health and your family’s well-being. This process involves careful inspection of your marriage as you repair the unappealing areas.
Now is a great time to start implementing a marriage maintenance plan. Author Harriet Schechter says, “…clutter actually represents a visible manifestation of uninvested maintenance time.” Going forward, let Christ Jesus, your Savior, help you remove the disarray. Implement a divine system that works and will last! Be ruthless when you remove the destructive baggage.
What to Throw Away:
· Poor communication
· Anger
· Rudeness
· Bitterness
· Selfishness
· Disrespect
· Lack of love and attention
Is it obvious from an organizational viewpoint that Christ is the head of your marriage? Taking the right actions to spiritually organize your marriage and home will make a lasting difference.
What to Keep:
· Prayer in your marriage
· Growth in your personal relationship with Christ Jesus
· Corporate church gatherings and worship with your spouse
· Faithfulness to each other
· Physical affection
· Healthy communication
What to Give Away:
· Respect for one another
· Goodness, gentleness, and patience
· Forgiveness
· Kind words
· Love with words and actions
· Thankfulness to God and your spouse
Choose to remain encouraged if you are progressing slower than you would prefer. Work on one area at a time just as you would one room at a time. Hebrews 12:1 “…lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”
Eliminate the negative and unnecessary things in your relationship that prevent you from living as a godly spouse. Follow Christ. When you do, it will become easier to remove the disorder and watch your marriage transform and become healthy.
Trust the Lord to provide marital direction and order. He will fill the cleared spaces with His love and peace!
This article first appeared in the Birmingham Christian Family magazine.
