Asking God to help me collect less and leave more
Let me ask you something that might hit a little close to home—what’s taking up space in your life right now?
I don’t just mean your garage (although, for some of us, that’s a real issue too). I mean in your heart, your mind, your relationships. What’s cluttering your peace, crowding your focus, or maybe even keeping God from doing what He wants to do in your life?
This has been on my mind a lot lately. When I sat down not long ago and asked myself what I want more of and what I needed less of in my life, this rose right to the top:
I want to leave behind more—and collect less.
When the Garage Is Full of Junk
Every spring, Donna and I have a tradition. She says, “We’ve got to clean out the garage.” And I agree. So I pull everything out, take a look at it… and then—like clockwork—I put most of it right back in.
Sound familiar?
Maybe I toss one or two things just to make it look like progress. But the truth is, most of the same old clutter goes back in. And that’s not just a garage problem—that’s a life problem.
Solomon got it. In Ecclesiastes 5:10, he wrote, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless” (NIV). It’s the same with stuff. We pile it up—thinking it means something —and we call it important. But it rarely is.
We want to possess things, don’t we? Bigger closets. Better tech. More toys. And before long, our lives—and our souls—are full of junk.
Jesus warned us about this too. In Matthew 6:19–21, He reminds us not to store up treasures on earth, but to invest in what lasts. Because wherever our treasure is—that’s where our heart will be.
Now don’t misunderstand me—stuff isn’t the problem. The problem is when the stuff takes up space where God’s peace, purpose, and clarity are meant to live.
Legacy isn’t in the stuff—it’s in what we leave behind that points to Christ.
After my mother passed away, my brothers and I gathered to go through her things. And like many moms from that generation, she had collected… well, everything. Knickknacks. Letters. Cards. Keepsakes.
We tried to sort through it fairly—each of us taking turns picking an item. But after a few rounds, we looked at each other and said, “What are we doing? We don’t want any more of this.”
But I’ll tell you what I did want. Sitting on her kitchen counter was her Bible—open, marked up, filled with notes, prayers, and highlights. That Bible had her heart in it.
We’re all going to leave everything behind. But the real question is: What are we leaving that actually matters?
That’s the kind of legacy I want to leave too.
Too Much Stuff Crowds the Soul
We think we’re just holding on to things… but really, they’re holding onto us.
And not just physical things. Some of us are collecting mental clutter—regret, comparison, fear, and expectations we’ve never spoke out loud. And like junk in the garage, it piles up until we can’t move freely anymore—spiritually, emotionally, even relationally.
My life can’t be filled with collecting good things and also be collecting junk. I’ve had to come to terms with that.
There’s no peace in clutter. No clarity in chaos. No renewal when our lives are jammed with things that God never asked us to carry.
Simplicity Isn’t Boring—It’s Freedom
One of the things I’ve realized is that simplicity isn’t just about having fewer possessions—it’s about making room.
- Room to think clearly.
- Room to love freely.
- Room to rest.
- Room to hear God’s voice.
That’s why I write on yellow pads. That’s why I stick notes on mirrors and walls and reflect on what matters. Because I want to keep clearing the space so I don’t miss the good stuff God is trying to show me.
To have more of what we want, we’ve got to have less of what we don’t want.
It’s not about perfection. It’s about intention.
What Needs to Go?
Let me ask you a personal question: What do you need to let go of—so something better can take its place?
- Maybe it’s something in your closet.
- Maybe it’s something in your schedule.
- Maybe it’s something in your heart.
Start with one drawer. One commitment. One thought pattern. One old habit. Clear enough space—and then watch how God begins to fill it with peace.
Hebrews 12:1 tells us to strip off every weight that slows us down. Sometimes, the weight isn’t sin—it’s just unnecessary stuff. Emotional junk. Spiritual clutter. Things that aren’t bad, but aren’t the best.
At the end of the day, we’re all going to leave something behind. And my prayer is that we leave behind things that matter—faith, love, character, and a life that pointed to Christ.
But that kind of legacy doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when we live intentionally. It happens by letting go of what we don’t need so we can hold on to what we do.
Today, I’m asking God to help me collect less—and leave more. Maybe you’ll join me.
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