Do you have a "Junk Drawer" in your home?

Growing up, my family had a drawer in the kitchen full of miscellaneous items that we referred to as the "junk drawer".

I have no clue how it happened, but there are currently TWO drawers in my kitchen that have turned into junk drawers!!

...and we're not even going to talk about my basement.
But the lesson here is this:

If you're not intentional, your life can end up looking like a Junk Drawer

It's so easy for your life to fill up with all sorts of things and become unorganized, overflowing, and over-stuffed, so...

Let's declutter!

Cleaning Out Your Life's Junk Drawer

As you start sifting through the junk drawer of your life, you will quickly realize that it is filled with things that need to be cherished, 
others that need to be tossed, 
and some that need prioritized.

Here are three suggestions to start cleaning out the Junk Drawer of your life.

#1. Giving Thanks

Life happens fast and it's easy to let things build up around us that end up getting thrown into a junk drawer.

One of the first empowering things you could do is to start picking through your life for things to be grateful for.

Blessings get wasted because they aren't counted. Literally. 

Your day is full of little gifts and treasures that have been taken for granted.

Look through the drawer of your life from this past week and start writing out all the things you can give thanks for.

 #2. Forgiveness

What happens when you let unforgiveness sit around?

Instead of collecting dust like physical objects, it collects a host of negative emotions like bitterness, anger, and resentment. 

With these negative emotions, unforgiveness starts building a prison for your heart to live in.

It's no longer a junk drawer, it's a JUNK CELL. 

BUT YOU HAVE THE KEYS TO FREEDOM.

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.
-Lewis Smedes

Lewis Smedes gives you three layers of forgiveness:

A) Rediscover their humanity

Realize that whoever hurt you is human.

Someone who makes mistakes and sins, just like you.

B) Surrender your right to get even

Let go of the desire to "get back at them" for what was done to you.

C) Revise your feelings toward that person

You can choose to stop hating that person. 

You don't have to be their best friend or maintain a flourishing relationship. But you can choose to wish them well, and move on.

#3. Prioritize the Important 

Your life's junk drawer definitely includes things that are useful and valuable. The problem is that they are mixed in with lots of other things and only get attention at random times.

The useful and valuable things of life need their own place.

Make a list of things that matter to you the most (look back at your list of what you're grateful for) and begin to intentionally move those things out of the junk drawer and into your schedule. 

Laughing with those you love shouldn't be a junk drawer moment.

You should intentionally make time to create an environment for laughing with those you love.

Home Gym equipment shouldn't be holding the clothes that need ironing in the morning. It should be helping you PUMP iron in the morning! 

Books aren't meant to sit on a shelf to make you look smart. They are meant to be read, highlighted, written in, and thought through to change your life. 

A deep conversation with a friend.
A walk through a park. 
A favorite meal. 
Listening to your favorite band. 
And many more!!

These things don't belong in the junk drawer.

Prioritize the things that are important to you, fun for you, and valuable to you, and give them a proper place on your calendar.