You know that old saying, charity begins at home? Well here is how it can really benefit your household.
I am frequently at war with myself. On the one hand, I don’t like clutter and disorganization. On the other hand, I tolerate quite a bit of it because of two main reasons: I have a husband and three kids who are not quite so intolerant of clutter (and being madly in love with all of them, I am a big softie), and I grew up in a household where nothing could be put to waste.
So, not surprisingly, if you drop by my home unexpectedly, you’ll probably encounter a few toys on the floor, an overstuffed hall closet, and one too many flat surfaces supporting the lately miscellaneous silly bandz, receipts, keys, mail, legos, doll shoes, coins, stickers, scrunchies, craft projects, etc. I say probably only because every so often the rest of the family is occupied and I gleefully sweep through the house like some madwoman with boxes and bags, gathering up stuff that won’t be missed. This includes my own bedroom closet where I’ve recently discovered that I really don’t need that sleeveless stretch knit dress from the 90s.
Yes, I do put some things back where they belong, but Instead of tossing the unwanted stuff, I separate it out into bundles that can be given away. This helps my home in at least three ways.
Firstly, it gives me the motivation to get things done quickly, especially if I have a specific person or family in mind for some of the stuff. I imagine that they will be blessed by it (or at least polite about it), so that gives me great motivation.
Secondly, if I get caught in my gathering (or need to ask before I fling things away), I find that my family is much more willing to part with things they know will find good homes elsewhere (I am blessed with generous kids).
Thirdly, giving things to charity makes us realize how much we have and often inspires us to include a few extra things in the giveaway boxes that we previously thought we needed.
So charity begins at home. You can bless others and have a less cluttered home at the same time.