Are you careful about who you let into your home?
If a stranger in an angry mood with a hidden agenda knocks on your door and demands entry, are you going to let him in?
If a thief is prowling your yard looking for entry into your home, are you going to leave the windows and doors open so he can gain easy access? Probably not.
The conscientious home keeper is on watch to keep unwanted intruders out of their home.
We should be as diligent about watching what we allow to enter our mental home.
If the temptation to hate, be hostile, or bitter comes knocking on our mental door, we can refuse entry.
If the thieves of resentment, ill-will, complaining, envying, or lusting are trying to gain entry, we are wise to keep them out!
It’s much easier to keep an enemy out of the house, then to get them out once they are in.
As children of God, we have ability to demonstrate dominion over our thinking. We can say “No,” to any suggestion of evil that wants to come in and take up residence in our perspective.
We can say, “No,” to any solicitation of the carnal mind and keep ourselves safe from evil intent.
Welcome guests into your mental home that bring harmony, peace, and health.
Welcome angel messages of Truth and Love. You’ll enjoy the company much better that way!
Our home, in the spiritual meaning, represents our consciousness. Mrs. Eddy says in her spiritual interpretation of the 23rd psalm, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord [the consciousness of Love] forever.”
My physical home at present has an excess of belongings, also known as clutter. At times I feel discouraged and overwhelmed when it seems I cannot get on top of this, and that my home is not the model of God’s order and clarity that it can be. But I know that even though there are human actions to be taken, there is something in consciousness that must be cleared and cleaned out in order to see that harmony manifested outwardly. Humanly I can’t do it, but God can. Evan says God gives us that dominion over our thoughts and space. Need to get quiet and listen and begin.
You aren’t the only one with this situation to some degree. I see God as the grand order and balance manifested in the universe… everything in its place, so magnificently.
Looking at the sky is looking into the infinity of God’s presence, so it is helpful to read the many astronomical analogies Mrs Eddy uses in S&H. If God is everywhere, including in your physical house (and home of your thoughts) then you cannot be separated from the orderliness , efficiency, balance and harmony that IS God! You know that thing kids learnt in Sunday School ?..”there is no spot where God is not”… God fills your home and house…with order, calness and beauty.
Rose, the order and harmony is mental. god gave it to you. it sounds like what needs to happen is to decanter and you see the outward manifestation of this inward order. T think of decluttering as “giving”. Yes, give away what you don’t need or whatever special things you love
Give to other organizations like Goodwull or the Salvation army. You will bless others as they may need what you have. Bless yourself and thank God for all these blessings. And , don’t forget the trash can. From S&H, “God is the source of all movement and there is no inertia to retard or check it harmonious action.” hence, there is nothing stopping you from decluttering.”
Rose,
I have the same problem. some helpful advice I have received is to set aside 15 minutes a day. set a timer. also to do something each day even if it is only one thing. if you buy something new get rid of two of the same things. a lot of my clutter is cs articles so instead of keeping the whole article I write in a notebook the ideas that were most meaningful to me and give the article away. much love to you and success.
Dear Rose,
I love this line in Hymn 49, “…let our ordered lives (thoughts) confess the beauty of Thy peace.”
I meant calmness of course!
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/j3d0d840pu?s=copylink
The best guide ever to governing our thoughts.
Yes. We want to have our space, our consciousness, utterly filled with love and loveliness,.
My mom was a great housekeeper, so skilled that others asked her to help them with over-whelming clutter. She said she never saw the clutter. She only saw the order hidden behind it. She kept her eye on the order and beauty of the room and moved swiftly and efficiently to find the best place for things and to move out what didn’t belong.
She had a few questions she asked about objects: Is it useful–here and now? Is it in its right place? (Maybe others would need it more?) Is there an element of fear in keeping more than is necessary? There’s no fear in love or loveliness. Things are thoughts. Does it symbolize simplicity, hospitality, truth, beauty, goodness, purity, intelligence? Then it has its right place.
Thank you, diane w. a. Your mom’s housekeeping skills reminds me of
when I grew up, a neighbor (a pack rat) used to ask my mom to help
her unclutter. (I had gone down to see her once and she asked me to
get something in the living room from her couch and I literally could not
Find the couch! LOL : ) My mom would have everything in order for her,
but slowly things began to pile up again … kind of like little by little, error
creeping in.
I need to clean out accumulations that also try to invade inner thought
space. Not always so easy to do. I do have boxes of thoughts in my spare
room that I love to share. My dear friend, whom I sometimes shared them
with, now in heavenly places, once pleaded with me never to get rid of them.
These ideas of Love need a place to be expressed, as well as all of our thoughts
of harmony and peace .. thoughts of Truth and Love being shared, helps to keep
our spiritual home joyous, with Love.
Evan,
This is very good. I especially like the part about keeping out ill will, resentment, envy lust, complaining. Very wise advice.
Thanks as always for these wonderful posts. I read every one.
Jeff
This is very powerful, Evan and all. Thank you. Sometimes the pangs
of mortal mind’s unwelcome guests of thought into our peaceful home try to get
the best of us. The “carnal mind” (as you write) – material and “evil intent” of worldly
qualms seem so prevalent and try to rob us of our spiritual roots. We seem cut off/isolated
fom what makes our home what it was/is – – lovely in Spirit – and God based in divine
Love. We sometimes in thought, scream at this error that seems to be invading our
cherished peace. But our One Mind, mental clarity and wisdom, being reigned back in,
helps to heal whatever would seem to have us feel separated from this Love.
Dear Rose. This one simple and powerful statement has helped me through a variety of circumstances including driving, decision -making, moving multiple times and downsizing my home and it is easy to remember!
“Know, then, that you possess sovereign power to think and act rightly. and nothing can dispossess you of this heritage and trespass on Love.” Pulpit and Press 3: 7-9 ” ♡♡
Thank you all for these wonderful sharings Very helpful for me with extra people living in my home. Needing the guidance to declutter where I can and just love.
I love the statement, Stand porter at the door of thought.
I also have been working on decluttering my home.
When I started out on this project I knew that it meant decluttering my thinking first.
I am so grateful for all the healing that has come about when I declutter my thoughts.
There were some dormant thoughts that needed to be recognized and removed as I know that those negative qualities never belonged to me. This is an ongoing process and I can do it with joy and love. Recognize animal magnetism and bar our thoughts from any intruder.
Hugs
This is the most helpful discussion resulting from Evan’s post! Thank you all! I have to share a recent experience. I frequently give to Goodwill and other organizations when it comes to clothes and household items, but I have a very hard time parting with gifts from others and I have had many gifts over the many years. I decided a few years ago J must part with some of the hand painted dishes and pottery collected over the years. When a new, young family moved into our neighborhood I welcomed them with a few pieces they had admired and gave some.items I had kept for my grandchildren (now grown) to their children. I felt so good about this and didn’t miss any of the long cherished items knowing they were being enjoyed by this young family. What I didn’t anticipate at all is what has happened every year since—when their relatives visit each year from Bulgaria they bring me beautiful hand painted dishes from their country in appreciation for my gifts to the young family! I have more dishes than ever and treasure each one! I haven’t handled the “clutter” problem but the story warms my heart.
Thank you so very much to everyone who took time to share excellent, inspiring ideas regarding my “clutter problem.” The biggest issue seems to be paper clutter and things that have an emotional attachment to nice remembrances from the past. I’ve been working on this for years with varying degrees of success, but it’s time to treat it as the spiritual issue it is.
So many wonderful outlooks shared here, sooo appreciated. I feel the love and can see that many of you relate to the seeming oppressive nature of this clutter issue, a form of animal magnetism that says I cannot have peace-order-clarity-harmony in my environment. What a lie. As Renis said above, “this is an ongoing process and I can do it with Joy and Love” and I would add, with lots of prayer and humility to God as my only Mind.
I, too, have issues with parting with lovely gift items I’ve been given through the years,
with many being precious heirlooms from those who are no longer “with us” and had
been given with love, so keep them for now as reminders of this love. I had handpainted
pottery dishes that I had stored in the basement where I used to live. The thought came –
when I moved – why keep them stored away in a box? I didn’t want to break any of them.
I started using them as every day dishes and throughout all the years, have not broken any.
I know our love doesn’t have to seen to be felt, but sometimes certain things remind us of
the giver who gifted them to us. Sometimes they become dust collectors, but they are
still lovely.
Thank you very much, dear Evan for keeping me awake to Truth and Love through your wonderful SpiritView ideas!
I do not literally watch always my thoughts, however I feel very strong when a wrong thought tries to come in. Then I correct it and I also ask God to let me know the truth about it. If we listen God surely directs our thoughts and ways into the right, blessing direction.
Can I be grateful for Christian Science, the Science of Christ!♡
And thank you all very much for your so helpful and inspiring comments!♡
Thank you, Evan, for this topic and your helpful article. I love especially your reminder “As children of God, we have ability to demonstrate dominion over our thinking. We can say “No,” This gives me direction in discovering why I have been discouraged and out of sorts frequently lately.
I thank all the contributors for their very helpful comments on organizing and decluttering thought first, and then the rest follows naturally. None of us are ever alone in our endeavors to do and live right. Love, peace and order to all of you.
Every so often I re-read “At The Door” by Katherine Yates. My friend printed it and gifted me with it. It was so meaningful that I bought the whole Katherine Yates series on Amazon. “At The Door” is, for me, still the most helpful as it is a constant reminder that if we do not remain constantly vigilant Porters at our own doors, all the bad things (error) will sneak in and “the house and yard will be a terrible mess!”
Hi dear Granny Ginny, could you share that article “At the Door” here on SpiritView with us? Would be wonderful!♡
The entire series of books (written for children, but just as valuable for adults to read) is copyrighted. Here is the Amazon page where I purchased it. I have the 3-in-one book which is not typeset, but is photo copies of the three books. Still, very readable.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=At+Th+Door+by+Katherine+Yates&crid=1QXQWPPQL1T0O&sprefix=at+th+door+by+katherine+yates%2Caps%2C162&ref=nb_sb_noss
BTW – I read that Katherine Yates was one of the very few authors that Mary Baker Eddy endorsed (recommended)
If the above link does not work, just type At The Door by Katherine Yates in your search engine and it probably will give you several choices – hopefully some place where you can purchase K. Yates books either in Germany or that can be sent to you without monumental postage involved. Blessings and Peace.
Thanks for the reference Granny Ginny. I found this link to At The Door
https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/At_the_Door_(Yates)
Thank you Rose ❤️
Yes, thank you, Rose, for finding the link. Very interesting way of
spelling out the standing porter at our door of thought.
Thank you, dear Rose for the full article!
As Carol says, a special way to explain or teach what Mts. Eddy says about “standing porter at the door of our thinking”. ♡
Thank you, Evan! Thank you all for constantly catching the Spirit, the Eternal guide.