THE CLUTTER BOMB

"REVERSE-WIRING" THE MESSY

• Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, that walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.”

• 1 Corinthians 1:27: "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty."

• OK, here's some snappy "stream of consciousness" quotes from my year's-long battle with organized clutter:

  --The best and the messy

  --An untidy desk ( I have no desk...)

  --Organized clutter

  --A sea of bits

  --Divine orderly destruction

  --A place for everything and everything in its place,

  versus a loosening control

  --Blend of orderly-Ness-Mess

  --Chaos-ity

  --A narrow ledge

  --Break and renew

  --Hoarding versus clutter

  --The Washing of Regeneration

• From W.E.W. and my direct experience with many years of organized clutter and general untidiness, this includes and involves:

  --the spirit of overwhelm combined with low physical energy

  --curious about multiple things

  --difficulty focusing

  --splash pattern

  --weariness

  --the sea of bits

  --memories of dismay

  --negativity mindset, from family dynamic

  --a sprinter temperament in an endurance-race world

• I am not wild about this process of “pouring out my heart" before the world, as Holy Spirit has nudged me to do. Sharing my flaws is not my idea of fun...and yet repeatedly, Holy Spirit has proven to be gentle, kind, focused, and utterly relentless and He does have a holy purpose to all this. Heck, with the massive success of doing it MYYYY WAYYYY for so many years and the flaming success I am...well, more Heck, p'raps I might try things...God's way?? Nothin' to lose, huh? Perhaps I am asked to do this as part of what God called me to do: “Encourage the Discouraged." I myself am one of the discouraged who could be encouraged and God Himself does that wonderfully…and I am clearly asked to do the same for others as well. So...have at it!

• With the intense pressures on us all in 2025, I think many people simply crumble under it and give up, attempt to soothe with booze, drugs, sex, money pursuit, “influence”, as if those external things will help ( they won't). Some desperate people lash out with violence.

• I am not one who does anything violent, I just withdraw and give up.

  I have the " spirit of overwhelmed." I give up, I take refuge in my sea of bits.

  Some people are endurance runners. I am both a sprinter and a plodder, what a strange combination!

• This writing is not a screed against my flaws. Self-condemation is truly one of the devil's most prominent tactics and I have been enslaved to it for so long! That is why I chose one of my favorite verses in all the Bible, Romans 8:1, as a barrier against condemnation. This means my partnering against disorder by holding fast to Holy Spirit's loving counsel for "out of this mess" a step and a day at a time. I may not ever be a huge worldly success...but I do not strive for that. I endure as long as I can, to keep my focus on things beyond the physical world and into Eternity with God.

• Along the physical path, I learn small things, tidbits, really, and in that way, am able to keep going a little bit at a time. That is what I can do, simply following in the direct footsteps just before me. Holy Spirit knows where we are going and my job is to follow and boldly trust, even an inch at a time. Even now, after the wee handful of days I have been working on this writing piece and starting to do the five minute assignments Holy Spirit gives me, I already feel a spark of lightness and hope, seeing the power of the small in the lil' efforts that show and hence, feel better. This is the " avalanche of pebbles " I have spoken of before and a foundational ministry both to myself and to encourage others.

• I have certainly tried and failed countless times over the years, to eliminate clutter. I have visited multiple clutter websites that offer to help with this problem. Unfortunately, none of them resonate with me. All have come off as very left- brain, not my language. All of them seem to have a line of "pronouncements" and that definitely does not resonate with me.

• Clutter has been a companion of mine since childhood. Interested in so many things, not focused...scattered is my secret middle name.

• While I don't live in utter chaos, neither do I live in perfect order. A friend long ago observed I lived in "organized clutter" and this was accurate. I have enough structure to keep the basics afloat: clothes here, linens there, kitchen stuff in kitchen, bathroom stuff in bathroom, bed made with ( rumpled) clean sheets, dishes washed daily, wipe off the stovetop, laundry in hamper and done weekly so I do have clean clothes. I am not the greatest housekeeper but again, I do the basics of dishes, laundry, clean the bathroom sink-tub-toilet, kitchen sink, periodic vacuum with a midget vacuum, not much dusting. I would grade myself a C, sometimes minus, sometimes plus.

• I promise you, Instagram, Pinterest and Architectural Digest are not calling me, nor House Beautiful. I grew up middle class in a modest house, had own room, got a B average in High school...but have not excelled in life or achievement.

  Yes, I know the tomes about order and I don't disagree... but a high energy person, I am not. The physical realm is exhausting for me, tired since childhood. I am physically nocturnal.

• So what to do with all these "early American Accumulations-Jumbles-Assortments”( sarcasm)??? Mind you, I am not a hoarder, nor do I have staggering amounts of stuff. In fact, I have far less than many people my age ( will be 73 in November). I just struggle with keeping reasonable order. My home is mine alone, no entertaining here whatsoever, just me and God and His Son and Holy Spirit.

  Holy Spirit has promised me He will help me manifest divine order...step by small step. This very well may be a "rest of my life" endeavor, as swift, I am not. At least I am making the small efforts day by day.

• ARGH time...and yet Holy Spirit is the kindest One I know...funny, lighthearted, polar opposite to me...

• This is not "self -help", this is utter and complete dependency on the mercy of God, to work through my flaws and foibles and gather me into the crook of His arm and lead me step by step to better ways. The overwhelm factor is formidable for people like me, sensitive souls and empaths. The temptation to hurl condemnation on myself is formidable... but I resist! God works with all types and within the parameters of our "language" and temperaments.

• So, starting over one---more---time...I begin with what Holy Spirit is calling "mini-bits", tiny 5 minute assignments I can do in that humble short span of time. SInce I easily get discouraged and give up, He is offering these tiny things I can do that are not only do-able but actually show visible and immediate results. That is the key for me, the whole "seeing is believing" thingy...

• As ridiculous as it sounds, see below:

  So far: cleaned up a dust pile from small corner of the kitchen floor so visible dust and dirt are gone.

  --Changed the place-mat-cloth on my eating corner of the kitchen table and got a new cloth napkin

  --Refreshed the counter area underneath the dish drainer and removed accumulated dust and marks

  --Refreshed with hot water and soap the dining table area where I eat, from food marks and accumulated dust

  --moved two stacks of paper stuff in my bedroom, accumulated notebooks and assorted paper-idea pile, to another location less immediately visible to messy space.

  --cleaned accumulated gunk from another corner of the kitchen counter to the left of the sink, where cooking spatters and dust have landed for awhile.

  Gosh, one would think I have climbed a huge mountain or something...and yet, the small, which I resonate with, shows results. This is first Corinthians 1:27 in W.E.W. practice.

• Life is not a smooth road for any of us, does not run on structured time, and more often than not, it is potholed and rocky and craggy and disorderly (read the news...) I do NOT hurl any pejorative against myself or others, as this is hard enough to share. I do not know anyone, especially at an Elder age, who has not been slam-dunked by life and the intensity of this fallen world. I want to offer encouragement, as I need it so deeply, myself. God is truly the Teacher of all Teachers and His immense patience with all our failures is truly astonishing. If any out there also struggle with disorder, you have a friend in me...

• God takes each of us WHERE WE ARE at any given time and walks with us one step, one step, one step. That is the only way forward for me, as mighty leaps have not worked. As a Sprinter temperament, the CONSISTENT slow and steady one step-one-step-one step, I can do.

  Find your pace, partner with God, and GO.

  Wendy Elizabeth Williams, Friday, August 22, 2025

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  This week's Ko-fi piece is about the very young-lady fad of wearing mid-riff baring shirts out into everywhere. This is not the beach, (bikinis are bad enough...) but Dollar Tree...and girls from 12 to 25 are ALL wearing midriff-baring shirts in the store. I was shocked and not much shocks me. Every single one! I am not thrilled with the casualness of this and this is not fashion, this is a FAD and a rampant one. I place the piece on Ko-fi on Friday night, after my weekly longer Substack piece is up and then put the Ko-fi piece up on Notes, for display. This piece is called The Body Belly...Protecting the Engine from the profane. Yes, catchy title...but true. The belly is not only the engine of the body but also sits very close to the private parts. Toooo much information!

  --Consider hiring me to do a short hop of writing for your business! I am good at what I call "emotional-descriptive" writing, and authentic emotion is a good selling point! I advocate for the small entrepreneurial types, like me! Contact me on Notes via a Direct Message or on Ko-fi with a message there. Very affordable, no long term commitment.

  --Please pray for me to hear Holy Spirit's still small voice for my writing work! Thank you, Wendy