Scripture to Memorize
She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindles with her fingers.
Proverbs 31:18–19
Passage to Read
Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.
Proverbs 17:1
Guided Prayer
Dear Lord, I know that you have called me to peace. I long to create a peaceful home that’s a refuge in the midst of life’s storms, a place where we live by your priorities rather than being driven by the media frenzy. Forgive me for buying into the cultural lies that say the only way to be happy is to accumulate and do more, more, more. The truth is less, less, less is almost always better. Thank you for reminding me today that a dry crust with peace and quiet is better than a house full of feasting with strife. That is the complete opposite message from the one that bombards me daily.
Holy Spirit, empower me to live differently. Teach me how to pursue peace rather than stuff. Train my heart to choose quiet rather than endless activity.
Prince of Peace, make your home with me. Amen.
Now that you’ve given away and thrown away as much as you can, it’s time to stow away as much as you can. If you don’t use an item every month, put it in an out-of-the-way place, such as the garage or attic. (We store Christmas and Thanksgiving bins in the attic; everything else is in the garage.)
This is obviously much more than a one-day job. Your objective today is to jumpstart the project and work on it, a little at a time, over the coming weeks. For example, you might place a bin in each of your children’s rooms and instruct them to put away all off-season clothing. Ask your husband to do the same. (You’ll be tackling your own closet later on, so don’t start there.) You might also stow holiday dishes to open up more space in the kitchen, as well as tax records and children’s school documents to de-clutter paperwork.
Before stowing anything, search your heart again. Is there any possible way you can live without it? Is there anyone else who needs it more? It’s not too late to give it away. Just start another giveaway box. The more you give away, the less you’ll have to stow away. Nevertheless, there are certainly some things you’ll want to keep. Some of my bins include:
birthday celebration items
Easter/spring decorations
fall/Thanksgiving decorations
Christmas decorations (Don’t tackle your Christmas stuff now! Come back to that chore when you’ve finished this study. Again, think jumpstart!)
off-season clothes (at least one box for every member of the family)
children’s school memorabilia (You might want a separate bin for each child. This makes it easier—no sorting later!)
tax documents (keep five years)
arts and crafts supplies
dream-size clothes (more on this later)
miscellaneous holiday decorations (Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, etc.)
Your bins will be different from mine. For example, I have a bin filled with jungle gear because I’ve taken three mission trips into the jungle and hope to be invited again. I certainly don’t need my Indiana Jones–wannabe outfits taking up valuable closet space, so they’re in a bin. You get the idea.
Affirmation: I store up treasures in heaven.
Practical
Buy ten plastic storage containers. Use a thick black felt pen to number them. Stow away any items you do not use every month.
Notebook: Create a page in the HOUSEHOLD section entitled BINS and write the numbers from 1 to 10 down the left-hand side, leaving several lines between numbers. Make a brief notation in pencil of what is contained in each bin. If you write in pencil, you can change contents if you need to without crossing out or re-creating the list.