Originally published by The Round Farmhouse Ministries on March 17, 2026.

“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21, ESV)

I go through seasons when I want to get rid of things, most recently clothes I didn’t even like wearing. So why do I hold onto them? Because I might need them later.

Sometimes I want to get rid of everything. I want to start fresh. I want to have a clean slate. I think of two times when I told God I wanted to be done with jobs, but He said no. It wasn’t the time. Thankfully the time came later, but that’s a story for another day.

And I wonder. . . do I hold onto things because I’m not sure I’ll be provided for in the future? Do I trust that God will provide what I need, or am I anxious because I’m afraid that I won’t have what I need when I need it?

It’s during these thoughts that we need to remember that God loves us: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13-14a). If we look around us, we see God providing for His creation in multiple ways, so we don’t need to be anxious because we are valued: “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

Sometimes we need to clear the clutter because it shouldn’t be in our lives. Just as Jesus cleared the temple (Matthew 21:12), we need to look at our lives through a clean lens and see what we need to clear out, acknowledge it, and then take action.

Here are some things that came to mind:

Judgment (Matthew 7:1; Luke 6:37)

Anxious thoughts/fearing the unknown (Matthew 6:25-34)

Negative self-image (Psalm 139)

Scrolling (I had to add this to the list because I find that scrolling on my phone doesn’t keep me in a good head or heart space)

Sometimes we need to clear the clutter to make room for God to use us in new ways, even if we don’t know what those new ways are yet. “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21).

Let’s be that vessel, ready and willing and useful for God. Let’s be clear of clutter blocking us from being available to God. Let’s trust rather than cling to clutter.

What clutter do you feel needs to be cleared from your life today? Why are you holding on to that clutter?