Do we own our things, or have our things started owning us?

Sunday morning, I sat in church listening to a message from 1 John 2:15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world…”

And I haven’t been able to shake it. We get so wrapped up in worldly things.

More clothes. More toys. More decorations. More furniture. More things for the kids. More things for ourselves. The next project. The next purchase. The next thing we think will finally make our home feel complete.

And yet, one day, every single bit of it will mean absolutely nothing. When Jesus comes back—or when my time here is finished—I’m not taking one single thing from this house with me.

Not the clothes. Not the furniture. Not the toys. Not the decorations. None of it.

And then there’s Matthew 6:21: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

That one will make you stop and think. Where is my treasure?

Because lately, I’ve felt God convicting me about our home. Not because I think having nice things is wrong. Not because I think we should throw away everything we own and live with nothing. But because somewhere along the way, we have accumulated so much stuff.

Stuff shoved in closets. Stuff overflowing from drawers. Stuff the kids don’t even remember they have. Stuff I keep because “I might need that one day.” Stuff we move from one room to another because we don’t know where to put it.

Stuff that requires cleaning, organizing, sorting, storing and maintaining.

And eventually, I have to ask myself:

Do we own our things—or have our things started owning us?

I’ve decluttered before…every few months. I’ve gone through the kids’ things. I’ve gotten rid of some of my own things.

But this time feels different. This time isn’t coming from wanting my house to look prettier, less time consuming…

It’s coming from wanting my heart to be different.

I want less distraction. Less excess. Less constantly trying to keep up with everything. Less wanting what the world tells me I need… And I want more room for what actually matters.

More peace. More time with my children. More gratitude for what we already have. More room to enjoy our home instead of constantly managing it… And most importantly, more room in my heart to hear God.

So we’ve started. Room by room. Drawer by drawer. Closet by closet.

Thankfully, my kids are on board too. They’re ready, and excited to downsize… Honestly, I think we’re all ready.

This isn’t going to happen overnight. Our home didn’t accumulate all of this stuff in one day, and I’m not expecting to undo it in one day either. But we’re starting… And maybe that’s what obedience looks like sometimes.

Not some huge, dramatic moment. Sometimes obedience looks like standing in your own home with a trash bag in one hand and a donation box in the other, asking: “Do we really need this?”

Sometimes it looks like choosing peace over possessions. Sometimes it looks like teaching your children that their happiness isn’t stored in a toy box. Sometimes it looks like taking care of the home God has already given you instead of constantly looking for the next thing to add to it.

My prayer through this whole process is bigger than a clean house. “Lord, make me less worldly.”

Teach me to recognize when I’m looking to things for fulfillment that can only come from You. Help me hear Your voice above all the noise. Help me be obedient when You show me something that needs to change. Help me teach my children that our treasure isn’t found inside this house.

And help me care for this home—not because I need it to be perfect, but because I’m grateful You gave it to us.

I want our home to feel lived in. I want it to be full of children and laughter and fingerprints and memories. But I also want it to be peaceful.

I want there to be room to breathe. Room to gather. Room to love each other well. Room for God.

So maybe I’m not just decluttering my house this time. Maybe God is decluttering me too. Removing some of the noise. Some of the wanting. Some of the attachment to things that were never meant to hold my heart in the first place.

Because when all of this is gone—and someday it will be— I know where I want my treasure to have been. Not in the things I collected. But in the God I followed, the people I loved, the children I raised, and the life I was obedient enough to live.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” — Matthew 6:21

“Do we own our things—or have our things started owning us?”

Because every possession asks something of us. It needs a place. It gets moved. Washed. Organized. Picked up. Stored. Eventually sorted again. And when there is too much, caring for the stuff can start stealing time from caring for ourselves, our family, or walk with God, all the things that truly matter…

I couldn’t tell you how many times, I have said “I need to stay home, because I have so much cleaning to do, or laundry to fold, things to catch up on around the house….” and I am realizing that it doesn’t have to be that overwhelming… I should have time for the things that matter the most… like Church on Wednesday nights, AWANA, Sunday Service, time with family, events, etc….

We aren’t getting rid of things because things are bad. We’re making room for what matters more.

I am changing the way our family thinks about what comes into our home, what deserves space in our home, and ultimately what gets space in our hearts.

Maybe the goal isn’t a minimalist home.

Maybe the goal is a home where worldly things take up less space—so the things of God can take up more. ❤️