No matter how many times in the past I have attempted to clean the extra clutter out of my home, it’s not long before the piles just seem to grow on their own. Before I know it, any empty spaces are filled again.

I recently watched an excellent video giving more tips on how to master decluttering, and some I hadn’t heard before. So, I will try again to incorporate some of these things into my life to hopefully make some lasting changes.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has a number of different sized clothing in drawers and closets. We really believe that we will one day lose the weight to fit into our favorite clothes again. That’s a good place to start decluttering, because realistically, we may never fit into them again.

But there was a decluttering tip similar to getting rid of clothes that no longer fit that I’d never heard before. Just as our bodies outgrow clothes, so we grow out of other things in our lives that don’t fit anymore but we are reluctant to let them go.

Hobbies can be one area that we’ve outgrown. I still have so many craft materials from the past but have not touched them in years except to move the boxes around. I have grown in the type of crafting I’m now doing and will probably never use the old materials again.

As much as I may still love the old stuff, it’s time to let it go to someone who will use it. I’ve finally made up my mind that I’ve outgrown many more things than just my clothes and they don’t belong in my life anymore.

So, I would encourage you to take a look at your life and see what you have outgrown. Do you have books lining your shelves that do not fit into your current interests and will probably never be opened by you again? It’s alright to give ourselves permission to get rid of the old to make room for the new.

Do you have old sporting equipment you will never use again? Find someone who would enjoy using it. As we age, we need to honestly assess what we can and can’t safely do anymore and be willing to let go of what doesn’t fit.

When was the last time you actually used the old bread machine to make a loaf of bread? Are you no longer having to cook for a large family, but still have closets stacked with appliances, etc. that no longer fit your life? Someone else needs them.

God still has plans for us in each stage and season of our lives, but it’s hard to move forward into the new when we’re still hanging onto the old and refusing to let go. We should always be finding new ways to learn and grow, and new experiences to enjoy and share with others.

If there are things with special memories attached to them that you can’t bear to let go of, take pictures of them to put in a memory scrapbook. One book will take a lot less space than the many boxes that clutter our homes and lives.

As Ecclesiastes 3:6 tells us, there is a time to keep and a time to throw away. We need to be honest with ourselves as to what time we are in. He will help us if it’s time to start getting rid of what we’ve outgrown in our lives.