write 31 days

a state of the heart

ShannaLeave a comment

I can’t believe it’s over! I’m so glad I decided to be a part of the #write31days challenge. It’s been tough and revealing and heart-tilling. 


If you read even one of my Learning to Simplify posts – thank you. Without readers, I have no blog, and this has become such a special place to me. 

I’ve only begun learning how to simplify and what that truly means. For me, the investment is worth the reward. I know it will be an ongoing lesson and journey. 

Ultimately, through writing over the past month and carrying out these posts into my real life, I’ve learned that simplifying isn’t a method or a technique or even a lifestyle. It’s a state of the heart. When I begin there – in my own heart – and work outward, paring down to the essentials, non-negotiables, and life-givers, it can more easily infiltrate every facet of my life. 

And the truth is, only the Lord can completely clear out and clean up my heart. I can’t do it because I’m a human and we hoard our junk. We let things pile up. We rarely deep clean. He knows my heart so well because he’s the One who made it. I can safely let Him come in, dust, declutter, and organize. I can trust Him with that task. 

That’s the kind of Simple I long for. 

revisiting the why

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Why is decluttering even important? I first discussed this back at the very beginning of this writing challenge, which you can read here. Aren’t we taught to value “more”? How often do we stop to evaluate whether or not constantly seeking more is serving us, the people we care about, and our God?

It’s worth taking an appraisal of. 


1. Decluttering reveals. It unearths the state of our home, our hearts, and everything that lies between. You can’t continue in ignorance once you’ve confronted the truth. You’re forced to put everything in it’s rightful place, or remove it from your life. This is the hard part, the fire.

2. Decluttering leaves behind only valuables, both material and intangible.  I do enjoy having a simple closet and I can appreciate an organized space, but even more so, I treasure newfound freedom, joy, and purpose. The invisible – this is where the beauty is found. 

Those treasures can’t be defined until we have first worked through the reveal. They are equally important and necessary. 

I hope you take the time to find what you truly value, and let it take it’s proper place in your life.


James 1:2-4, The Message: Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

my simple confession

ShannaLeave a comment
When I first felt the Lord moving me towards a simpler life, I began small. It started behind my closet door, where I pared my wardrobe down to only my very favorite things. It was the perfect beginning to this new chapter in my book because it affirmed in me the desire for long term and deeper growth beyond my closet.

These past twenty-eight days were not intended for instruction or even motivation, although those would be wonderful byproducts. These posts were my confessional. 

Not a confession to you, and not even a confession to my Lord – He already knows the maze that’s my heart. 

It’s been my way of confronting myself and all of my junk. Over my last twenty-eight years I have accumulated all along the way and it was time to step back, evaluate, and clear out. 

Things are feeling lighter. There are less distractions. I can breathe deeper. 

This process of writing and editing and praying and pondering is always a mirror. It helps me see more clearly, reflecting everything back in truthful light. 

Thank you for helping me hold the mirror by simply reading and providing this safe space for me to declutter in pursuit of Him. 


If you’ve missed my previous posts in this series, you can click here.