Do you ever feel stuck?

Like a drawer crammed too full of junk,

it's easy to feel as if much of your potential is in hiding.

I can remember dumping my mom's junk drawer out from time to time as a young girl and organizing the rubber bands, paper clips, and other odds and ends jumbled in the midst of ink pens, markers, and keys.

I loved how the drawer looked when I was finished.

I loved the order.

I loved how everything seemed to make sense.

This weekend, I've wandered through the house and done some junk-drawer cleaning of my own.

I seem to have more of these kinds of drawers than my mom ever did!

I've thrown a lot of things away.

I've moved things from one place to another so that things like pencils can all be found in one location.

I still have hours of organizing ahead of me,

but I realized this weekend that you've got to start somewhere when it comes to getting organized.

So, one drawer at a time, one room at a time,

I'm opening drawers and dumping them out so I can see what kind of mess I'm dealing with next.

Life has to be dumped out sometimes too.

Over-commitment, too many responsibilities........

all those things we say "yes" to can somehow force us into a place of feeling stuck.

I don't like feeling stuck.

I don't think God likes when we feel that way either.

He doesn't want us running ourselves ragged even in His name or filling our schedules so full that we don't have time to breathe.

There's something very empowering about writing down everything that is on your mind and then sorting it out.

Phone calls that need to be made.

People or doctors who need to be called.

Errands that need to be taken care of.

And on and on.

Once you see your life written on paper, it's easier to decide what to do next.

The feeling of being "stuck" or "running in circles" can be transformed into a sense of purpose and direction.

If your life feels like a junk drawer lately,

I challenge you to dump it all out and take a good look at every little "paper clip" dancing around in your mind.

You may discover that some things need to be tossed out and forgotten.

You may find a treasure you had forgotten was even there.

You may realize that what you thought was "so important" isn't even a big concern.

Life can be stressful enough when we feel organized.

As I dive into another Monday, I'm taking a little time to jot down all the things dancing in my head and then I'm going to

decide what needs to be done,

what needs to be dumped,

and what needs to be treasured.

Life is too short to live as a junk drawer crammed full of things I'll never get a chance to appreciate.

And life is definitely too short to miss the One that matters most.

Simplify what you can today.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.