When I tell my friends that part of my Lenten practice is to do a decluttering challenge of our home where I get rid of 40 things everyday for 40 days, I typical receive a very strange look… followed by “FORTY THINGS A DAY?!”
Ah yes, you did hear that right. 40 things for 40 days.
Each Lent, it is a rule of mine to not only give up something, but to also begin a new good habit.
For Lent of 2023, I was beginning my third trimester of pregnancy with our fourth child. Obviously, Lent while pregnant looks a bit different. My husband and I have a yearly habit of having a dry Lent, with the exceptions of a dispensation on Saturday evening (versus the normal Sunday dispensation). Since I was pregnant and already dry, this didn’t seem like much of a sacrifice. I gave it a lot of thought and tried to be creative with what I gave up and what good habit I began, without it being a food or beverage item.
That year, I gave up wearing pants. Yes. Pants. I wore exclusively skirts and dresses throughout the entire Lenten season. I was seeking to really learn to appreciate my femininity, to force myself to get dressed everyday during the bleakest months (where my mental health tends to dip even when I’m not hormonal and pregnant), and to give glory to God through my dress by taking good care of myself and being thoughtful with my wardrobe. It was truly an incredible experience, but more on that in a different blog post.
As I was pregnant, I was also in the throws of “nesting”, and I figured what better habit to develop that to become a better steward of the home God has so graciously given us.
I came up with this idea of “40 things for 40 days” because it was catchy, but also because is was a lofty enough goal that I would have to truly and diligently work for it. I would have to be diligent in my work at achieving it and thoughtful in how I planned it.
It was invigorating!
It allowed me to better understand the things in my home, as well as to decide what was necessary and what really wasn’t.
I loved it so much, I am doing it again this year, and I would love for you to join me!
“Do you REALLY get rid of 40 things every day for 40 days?”
a: Yes and no. Yes I do get rid of 1600 things in 40 days, but it’s not always 40 things a day. Somedays its 20 things. Some days its 200 things. It just depends on the day!
“I don’t think I have 1600 things in my house to be able to get rid of!”
a: Maybe, but you would be surprised. I count EVERYTHING. Every broken crayon, piece of paper, and mismatched sock. It is an itemized declutter. A table counts just as much as a paperclip does.
“Why do you count everything? Why not just simply ‘declutter’.”
a: Mostly, to hold myself accountable. It’s supposed to be challenging, it is supposed to be thoughtful, and it is supposed to be something concrete. Simply saying “I’m going to declutter my home for Lent” is too abstract for me. But saying, “I am going to purge 1600 things from my home” is a concrete goal.
“I don’t think my family would be supportive of this.”
a: I get it- my children weren’t all smiles when I said I was going to be getting rid of some of their toys and art supplies, but after a discussion about what it means to be a good steward to our home, and the promise that they would get to fill in a box for everything of theirs that we got rid of, they quickly joined in on the fun.
“How does this give glory to God?”
a: Great question, my friend. Our God is a God of order. We see it all through Scripture. From the order of creation, to all the rules of order given in the Old Testament, to the order in which Jesus instructed his disciples, to the order of the founding of the church. We give glory to God by creating order in our homes!
“But all things should be done decently and in order.”
1 Corinthians 14:40
So, what do you think? Want to join in on the challenge?! I hope so!
You can download your own Lenten Decluttering Challenge Tracker here to get started on your decluttering journey! I hope you will let me know, either in the comments or on Instagram, how its going. You can tag #lentendeclutter to show off your hard work and to make new friends who are participating in the challenge with you!
