What Moving Taught Me

As I packed up my home of 17 to years to relocate, I realized just how much stuff I had accumulated over the years. I knew I had some clutter, but I wasn’t a pack rat — was I?

In psychology, we talk about the Johari Window. The window allows us to recognize that we all have blindspots. Sometimes others see what we fail to see ourselves (such as the clutter in my house that I saw as treasures but others saw as junk or stuff). There are also times that neither we nor others see truths about ourselves…like all of the things I found in my attic while rummaging around.

What I’ve learned is that I want to be more self-aware and others- aware. I don’t want to get so comfortable in my surroundings that I fail to see the clutter or even the junk. I want to be aware of the sin in my life, even when it is painful. It is only through the realization of sin, that I can confess and begin to deal with it.

Too often, we fail to take inventory of our lives. Our stuff becomes so commonplace, we no longer see the potential harm it may bring.

Since cleaning out the physical clutter in my life, I feel more relaxed and at ease…how much more would this be true if I worked on the negative cognitions and other psychological baggage I carry every day? How much more if I spent as much time eradicating my sin as I did the material things in my home?

So, it’s time to take spring (or summer) cleaning to a whole new level. It’s time to clean out the cobwebs in our minds and deal with those hidden areas that we try so desperately to avoid. Just as I first had to see the clutter in my house, I first have to acknowledge the junk in my thoughts and in my mind…then the real work begins!

The Johari Window