A closet and heart clean out.

Filling up with truth first.

Thanks be to God, we found out we were expecting our fourth baby in August of 2023. Up until then, I had really narrowed down my closet wardrobe, since I hadn’t had a baby for three years prior to that. I knew that as my body was about to quickly expand…again…and then ever so slowly shrink…again…I would need to prepare my heart, I mean closet, to hold every size ranging from a medium to a 2x. My easily overwhelmed heart, I mean eyes, needed to accept this upcoming influx that I had been through three times before already. “Brace yourself,” I whispered to my heart, I MEAN CLOSET.

I’ve never been the girl that could wear her normal clothes while pregnant and simply…unbutton them. As soon as I’d pee on a positive stick, my pants would refuse to go past my knees - and the snaps on my bras would repel like opposite sides of a magnet. I wish this were hyperbole. Nevertheless, my body swells at a speed that I cannot keep up with. As soon as the next size arrives in the mail, it’s already too tight. This, my friends, makes me mental.

So saying that clothes are an added stressor for me in pregnancy and postpartum — is an understatement.

I was eager for the day to come when I could finally clear out some of the pregnancy clothes. (Whether we are donating it all, or stowing away in a corner of the basement incase the Lord has other plans, is TBD.)

My sweet baby girl turned one recently, and there are a few things that I no longer wear. I have not returned to a comfortable size yet, or may never, but there has been some down sizing. So I knew I could pass on some things, and Liz’s YouTube was just the inspiration I needed. Not only did she motivate me to declutter my closet — she gently shined a light on my heart. Thank you Liz.

My first step in decluttering is always emptying the space. Piles of pre pregnancy, pregnancy, postpartum, weddings, and all 4 seasons, threw up in my room.

With my closet empty, wiped down, and feeling new again — my heart felt like it was being cleaned out as well. Like someone was taking a shop vac to the corner cobwebs of my insecurities and shame. With every hanger I pulled out, and shoe I tossed across the floor, I was reminded of how hard I strived to fit in, hide behind, or impress others with these material things. I then felt compelled, by the Lord’s kind whisper, to tape a verse on this blank canvas. A verse I could meditate on each time I entered to get dressed.

“let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” 1 Peter 3:4

I wrote the verse. I taped it to my drawer across the top and bottom of the index card. I assumed it was secure. And wouldn’t you know it - as soon as I started filling up my closet, my arm kept snagging the corner of the index card. How quickly filling up the closets of our life will try to pull down the Lord’s sweet truths. I didn’t want to risk it — so I added a third piece of tape to the corner. My prayer when I see it, is that this truth will be taped securely on my heart, and my daughter’s hearts.

I finished by putting back only my favorites. When I put back my favorites, I typically realize that is all I need and have room for. So any “maybes” or “sometimes uses” feel good letting go because I know they would only clutter the space. I’ve been trying to remind my heart of this same truth:

When we start our day by filling up with His truth and His promises, that it is all we will need. Anything else that we try to search for to fill us, will only make a mess.

God bless friends. And happy decluttering!

Here’s a lil song you may enjoy while you empty your heart, I mean closet, too: