Happy Sunday, ladies! I hope you’re enjoying the last weekend of 2019. It’s hard to believe that we will ring in a new decade in just a few days.
We have been busy at our house, cleaning and organizing. I love this time of year because I am always ready to declutter and get rid of things we don’t need or haven’t used in a while.
We moved into this house in May 2018. We have an unfinished basement, and everything we weren’t sure about, we put in the basement thinking within a few months we would get it all organized.
Then in August of 2018, Wayne’s father passed away, and just three months later, in November, his Mom passed away.
January 2019 began the long process of cleaning out their home of 60+ years. It took months and months! And all the while, we were adding some of their things to our basement.
Truthfully I avoided the basement because I would have a panic attack every time I went down there!
We knew as soon as Christmas was over this year, we were going to tackle our basement, and we’ve spent several days down there organizing and getting rid of a ton of stuff. It has felt so good!
I’m happy to say it looks much better, and we will start the New Year with a decluttered basement.
As I thought about getting rid of clutter, I couldn’t help but think about some of the clutter in my heart.
I shared this quote last week, It’s a good time of year for letting go. Let’s not drag all our regrets into 2020. Let’s repent, make amends where we can, and move on.
What are some things from 2019 that we need to let go of and move on? Let’s not bring our hurts or bitterness into 2020.
Ecclesiastes 3:6 says, there is a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away.
As we ring in 2020 I’m throwing out the hurt I was still letting weigh me down. What do you need to throw out? Let me know in the comments.
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to stop by my blog. I’m also on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Have a blessed day!
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Your message today found me and touched my heart. Thank you Its time for me to move on. So much easier to do when God puts the words in front of you 100 times or more 🙂
I just had a chance to read this today. Your Sunday blog posts are my favorites. Thanks for sharing your love for the Lord and encouraging scriptures. Decluttering is difficult in general, but after a parent’s death even more so. Happy New Year!
I love all this back and forth dialogue amongst followers. Women are a tribe and seeing all the support for one another makes my heart smile. Cyndi, I love this post. I’ve been in the declutter space for the past 6 months or so, even though I’ve never been one to hold on to much. I always tell myself that there is someone else out there that is more in need of an item then it sitting in my closet or basement. This thought process has helped me hold on to very specific things that have meaning, right down to housewere items. Happy New Year! Wishing you continued success and blessings 🙂
I am new to your blog and can already tell I’m going to enjoy reading & reflecting on your advice/words. I, too, have hurt and pain that I plan on saying goodbye too for 2020. May you have a blessed year!
Just found this cite never heard of you i love clutter sharing your heart
Love the jesus article clothes not sure how i got to this article it was a God ordained time needed this pleasepray i need a godly woman friend i am a senior to the precious lady ab not giving drug money to her son i pray full restoration and believe jesus will bring him home jesus speaks ab the prodigal keep believing keep your eyes on jesus
I love your blog. I have spent the last 2 days in my basement organizing, but not getting rid of much. I need to throw stuff out but I’m so sentimental I really struggle with this.
Praying 2020 will be the year I gain control over my stuff.
ISN’T IT NEARLY ALWAYS THE SENTIMENTAL THINGS THAT gets us slowed down in the decluttering ? such a challenge, it feels like giving up so much more than the “things”.
What color do you use Tarte tape under eye coverage?
Your posts always seem so timely to me! In the past few years I have retired from teaching (although I now LOVE subbing!) and gone through breast cancer treatment. We are beginning the process of downsizing and moving to a lower maintenance home in the near future. I have always hung onto lots of “stuff” thinking “I might need this one day.” That is the teacher in me for sure! I have to let go of all of those things (including clothes!) That I no longer need or use. It’s a daunting task, but I am starting this week with my closet. I am really excited and ready to do this! I feel like it symbolizes starting a new chapter in my life.
I love the comment, “starting a new chapter in my life.” Good for you, Susan! I am starting a new chapter too. I’ve finished some business in 2019, and am ready for newness.
Cyndi,
Thank you for this personal parable. I want to improve my health in 2020.
Wonderful story line you have given us today Cyndi. I hurt my son 2 years ago by not giving him money to continue his drug addiction. I still have not seen or heard from him. And I have this hurt in my heart and mind every single second day. I pray each day God is watching over him and protecting him. And I pray God will let he and I build our relationship back to a good place. If I had that day to do over I would have given him the money. But I was so tired of working and him not working and always trying to get me to pail him out of his troubles. I pray for a better 2020 for us all
Watching your child in active addiction is one of the most heart wrenching things a parent can go through, my prayers go out to you. Yes, there is a time when we need to take care of ourselves and I pray 2020 we can do that.
I love the quote you shared. I am trying hard to let go of my ego. I often tend to Judge others and especially myself. I am working hard to look at everyone (including the mirror) with love and helpfulness. I think if I let go of my ego and just let everyone be who they are supposed to be life will be a lot easier.
I need to throw out my feelings of inadequacy. I need to accept who God says I am and throw out my need for approval from people.
I love decluttering.. last year on the 26 th of December I purged the kitchen cupboards, pantry, China cabinet, bathrooms and the linen closet. Our daughter got married in May so we re painted inside and changed rooms around. I now have Z guest room. This year I’m re organizing my Christmas decorations and we have an unfinished basement that desperately needs to be cleaned out and we plan our finishing it with flooring etc… that will be the big project for 2020 and maybe finishing up our painting with doing the dining room. I don’t have much left to purge except the basement..
I moved 5 years ago and got rid of so much stuff! But it seems my husband is determined to bring a lot back in! But anyways, I need to let go of the uncertainty of a chronic health condition that I was diagnosed with 16 months ago.. I should have an excellent prognosis, but there are scary days. I’m trying to move past it, but it’s hard. Any suggestions, anyone out there?
Hi Mary. I live with chronic health issues too and what I’ve learned and continue to learn every day is that if you live with dread, fear and worry, then whether you have 70 days, 700 days or 7,000 days left of your life, they will have not been lived at all. It is the quality of life not the quantity. Live every day fully without the fear. We can not predict tomorrow or next week but today’s choices are ours. It’s not easy, but you can do it. Peace and life well-lived to you. – CC
As I read through all of the comments I see how much we have in common. As we all turn to Christ our burdens will lessen.
Thank you Cyndi for pointing out to clean out our hearts as well as our homes in 2020. May God bless us all.
What a good thought and lesson. There is hurt in my heart that I have been working through for years. I don’t believe the person who hurt me meant to, but it is hard to forget it and forgive. But, that is exactly what we need to do as followers of Christ. This message is a good reminder to me to tackle this now and not let it continue to negatively affect me. Thanks!
Thanks for your amazing blog and all the updates. I love reading your news and look forward the your daily updates and Christian messages. They are usually quite apt for my day and help me through my challenges. A misunderstanding derailed our Christmas this year despite all the lifelines I have learnt along the way. It’s a regret I don’t want to take into 2020 and thankfully we have managed to iron it all out, repent and ask for forgiveness. God is so great and so loving and forgiving! Amen.
I would like to congratulate you on your amazing blouses they look amazing and I hope you get to design some more. I only wish they were available in the UK …..
Thank you for your daily devotionals and your inspiring writings …..
God bless you and keep you
Much love
Gail x
I
I’m throwing away my hurt & pain, but glorifying my Lord for a clean bill of health for a cancer free diagnosis in June from stage 3 breast cancer. Praying I get a no cancer answer forever more!!! I also want to declutter our lives and stop purchasing so many things & make more memories!!! Life is too short!!!💜
Thank you for sharing Cyndi. I always like to do a closet purge at this time of the year and take many things to a donation center.
I too would like to let go of some hurt from the past that can weigh me down.
I have too many blessings to focus on and be thankful for to allow the hurt to steal the joy.
Prayers for both of us that God renews our minds in a unique way in 2020.
Thank you for sharing this. My husband lost his father in 2018. He was a single dad to my husband beginning at a young age. We were also very active in our church. During my father-in-law failing health, my husband was also head of the building committee and the GC of our new church project. There were many days we left work in the evenings to care for his dad to be called away for something concerning the church project. We were torn by the responsibilities of running a business, building the building God had led us to build and family duties all while still trying to spend the final days with his dad. In the midst of it all there were different visions introduced and miscommunications due to different personality types regarding the church project allowing for deep hurt. No one seemed to be considerate of the reality we were dealing with losing a very special person. This hurt was a big part of leading us away from the church we raised our children in and we have been wandering from church to church for 10 months. We feel leaving was the right decision and have peace with that decision but are both having difficulty releasing the pain we still feel. I try to set goals for the New Year and will take your advice by releasing hurts for 2020. I want it to be a year with a clearer vision including my personal walk with God.
I’m thankful for you! You inspire me to live better!
Dear Cindi,
Thanks for reminding us to let go of our past hurts. I pray I may do so as well. 2019 was a very difficult year for me… my husband ,in his fifties, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in February, in April my father in law passed away, then in August my mother in law passed away. We had forest fires and drought and evacuations and sickness. I have had to let go of so much, but thankful that Jesus has not let go of me! Looking for a better year in 2020.
I want to let go of anxiety and fear. This year I walked through some unexpected health problems and surgeries with both my husband and my elderly mom. Praying for God’s peace to fill my heart.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 14:27 ESV
I’d like to get rid of insecurity, especially in the things that don’t matter. I want to live each day with more purpose. Thank you Cyndi for your post today and helping us rid things that aren’t good for us to hold onto. I’m happy you got to declutter your basement. I know how that is when a parent passes and you need to store things of theirs, along with your own. It can get overwhelming and it feels good to finally go through it all. Blessings to you and your family today.
I’m doing the same – getting rid of clutter in house. After reading about getting rid of clutter in our hearts I’m going to think on that. Happy new year.
My hope and prayer is to let go of unforgiveness. Satan has destroyed my relationships with two of my sisters since my mom got sick. My mom died in Jan 2019, so it’s coming up on one year soon. Carrying bitterness in my heart this whole year has been very distructive. Your post today spoke directly to my heart Cyndi. God bless you for blog and bfth each day! May 2020 be a clear vision for all that God has in his plans for us all!
Coco, there’s a great book called, Total Forgiveness by R.T. Kendall. It helped me tremendously, forgive some past hurt by a close family member. I highly recommend it. Hope it’s helpful. Happy New Year 😘
Thank you so much, I will surely get this book. God bless you in the New Year!
Coco, I understand that, I carried unforgiveness towards my Dad for over 30 years, he walked out when I was 15, and through the years he continued to do awful things to my Mom and the family, and he still does, even though he’s now 85. I also have estranged relationships with two of my sisters so I understand that as well. I have been able to forgive all of them though, as well as myself, by praying each day and asking God to help me to relinquish the anger and bitterness that I carried over the years, and to help me to look at them with a different heart. It has worked and I no longer feel the anger or the bitterness, In March 2018 my son and I traveled to visit my Dad, it was my first time ever in the home he’s lived in with his wife (the woman he left us for) and in conversation he said that he’d never wanted kids, and he cried. Before I had worked through all of the unforgiveness I probably would have said something to him, or just gotten up and walked out, but I didn’t, instead I felt more love for him and I got up and I held his hand and told him it was okay. I have to admit it did sting a little, but it clarified SO much for me and helped me to understand and make sense of so much of the things that had gone on in my life when I was very young and why he had behaved the way he had so many times when I was growing up (before he left) I’m not angry with him anymore, he’s just a man, he made some bad decisions and did some unkind things, but he’s human like the rest of us – for me to be able to say that is a miracle. Let Jesus take your burdens. <3
Robyn,
Even if you don’t care for early childhood educator Fred Rodgers your comments made me think of the movie out right now about his life. It’s called It’s a Beautiful Day and Tom Hanks plays Fred Rodgers. I think the story would speak to you. My husband & I loved it.
Robyn, thank you for sharing your life journey, and especially sharing your forgiveness, it gives me hope that perhaps some day there will be healing from both sides. Until that day, I will be working on my heart with Jesus by my side. May 2020 be filled with great things for you!
Praise God for the little ministry you’ve got going on in your corner of blog! It is so uplifting! You are, undoubtedly, leading people to the Lord!
I want to get rid of self-doubt and worrying about what others think of me. Jesus loves me and that is the most important and beautiful thing!
I need to let go of the horrible memories of my dad battling cancer December 2017.
The thoughts and images of his illness enter my head every single day. Today is 2 years since his passing and in 2020 I want to honor my dad by thinking about all of the special memories that we shared with him. He was an incredible human being and I know that he’s doing amazing things in heaven ❤️
Beautiful post- I also need to let go of the hurts and embrace the future- I need to appreciate life more and focus in the good.
Julie, your comments hit home to me, as I also can’t the bad memories and images out of my head during my mom’s struggle with cancer and especially her last months and days this past Oct 2019. She was an amazing mother and person and it’s very hard to make sense of what she had to go through. Your post made me feel less alone in my feelings, so thanks.
Letting go of regrets…..‘what might have been’.
Things that keep me tied to the past in a way that will not let me move forward. Tangible and intangible.
On to embracing the person I am capable of being. Give more kindness and respect away to people who just need a bright spot in their day, a second chance or a thank you for doing the best they can.
We could all feel lighter if we cast our burdens on Him and Live each day treating each other as we would like to be treated.
I love your blog. I have spent the last 2 days in my basement organizing, but not getting rid of much. I need to throw stuff out but I’m so sentimental I really struggle with this.
Praying 2020 will be the year I gain control over my stuff.