My closet as a metaphor

So after reading Seven by Jen Hatmaker, I was inspired to do a bit of a closet makeover.  I asked my hubby whether I should try to keep just 40 articles of clothing or get rid of 40 articles of clothing. He suggested to start with getting rid of 40 articles of clothing, so on Saturday, I had some time and set out to do the cull.

The result?

I didn't make a dent in my pile of clothing. My closet is still packed. I still have 9 dresses, 2 grubby Tshirts, 2 grubby pants, a passel of scarves and the list goes on and on.  More stuff than I could ever need. This  cull did  not involve sacrifice. In fact most of the items removed from my closet are more suited to the rag bag than the thrift store. It was more getting rid of the weak and decrepit. Still necessary. Oh boy was it necessary but not quite the life lesson I thought it would be.

Instead it might have been the life lesson I needed. I found myself debating which raggedy tshirts I wanted to keep vs wanted to put in the rag bag. I debated keeping a pair of ripped up, holey jeans.  I had items that didn't fit, were in disrepair or just looked hideous and I hated getting rid of them. This is so true in life too. I hang on. I hang on to memories when the reality isn't the same.  I hang on to relationships that are tattered and torn and frayed. I maintain a view of myself that isn't  true anymore. I try to fulfill roles that I have outgrown, moved past. I have sin, habits, routine that fill space but drag me down. I look at them every once in awhile and ponder what I should do with them, and then stuff them back into the closet. They don't repair themselves there. They continue to deteriorate, collect dust. I need to make  a decision to either discard the things that take up space or repair them, update them so they fit the times that I am in.

My closet is still full of faded and tattered clothes. I would love to update it (if I had unlimited resources). But until I clean out more items, adding more and better items just contributes to the clutter.  The new and beautiful will be overshadowed by the used up and threadbare. I need to purge the things that have served their usefulness in order to fill it with items that can be used.

This is my desire this year with my life. What habits have served their usefulness?  What traits are a little worn and threadbare?  What thoughts and voices are providing clutter rather than beauty and clarity?  Help me to get rid of these things so that I can fill my life with the perfect.

As far as this challenge goes, I achieved it but I think that it will be a repeat challenge. There is still more to purge and get rid of.