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Making Room for God: Decluttering and the Spiritual Life
If cleanliness is next to godliness, do our closets have anything to say about the state of our souls?
Decluttering became trendy with the 2014 release of Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up . And while there’s no shortage of secular books promoting the practice, Making Room for God is the first book on organization from a Catholic perspective. Self-proclaimed pack rat Mary Elizabeth Sperry will help you make decluttering a prayerful, peace-filled, and soul-expanding experience.
Popular Catholic speaker and Bible expert Mary Elizabeth Sperry explores the relationship between our stuff and Catholic beliefs about grace, sin, repentance, prayer, and the common good. She boldly affirms the goodness of our stuff and of God’s abiding presence in the worldly goods all around us. She also reminds us of how sin can distort our relationships, including the ones we have with our possessions. Through spiritual disciplines—especially prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—we can protect this relationship so that we own our possessions but they don't own us.
Making Room for God offers an enticing and entertaining approach to decluttering, discipleship, and the spiritual life that makes tidying up seem almost fun. Writing from an unabashedly Catholic perspective and with convincing practicality, Sperry looks at the role of material goods in the life of a follower of Jesus. Each chapter includes humorous and often self-deprecating details of the author’s own journey through decluttering to help us believe that we, too, can simplify. Alongside these adventures are Sperry's rich spiritual insights gleaned from extensive knowledge of the Church’s tradition and helpful exercises for freeing ourselves from clutter and the temptation to sin it so often harbors.
Sperry draws liberally from the Bible, liturgy, Fathers of the Church, lives of the saints, and Church teaching—especially that of Pope Francis—as she explores the relationship between our stuff and our spiritual lives. Practical elements offer a step-by-step approach to decluttering living spaces, getting rid of unused and excess items, and limiting future accumulation.
Decluttering became trendy with the 2014 release of Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up . And while there’s no shortage of secular books promoting the practice, Making Room for God is the first book on organization from a Catholic perspective. Self-proclaimed pack rat Mary Elizabeth Sperry will help you make decluttering a prayerful, peace-filled, and soul-expanding experience.
Popular Catholic speaker and Bible expert Mary Elizabeth Sperry explores the relationship between our stuff and Catholic beliefs about grace, sin, repentance, prayer, and the common good. She boldly affirms the goodness of our stuff and of God’s abiding presence in the worldly goods all around us. She also reminds us of how sin can distort our relationships, including the ones we have with our possessions. Through spiritual disciplines—especially prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—we can protect this relationship so that we own our possessions but they don't own us.
Making Room for God offers an enticing and entertaining approach to decluttering, discipleship, and the spiritual life that makes tidying up seem almost fun. Writing from an unabashedly Catholic perspective and with convincing practicality, Sperry looks at the role of material goods in the life of a follower of Jesus. Each chapter includes humorous and often self-deprecating details of the author’s own journey through decluttering to help us believe that we, too, can simplify. Alongside these adventures are Sperry's rich spiritual insights gleaned from extensive knowledge of the Church’s tradition and helpful exercises for freeing ourselves from clutter and the temptation to sin it so often harbors.
Sperry draws liberally from the Bible, liturgy, Fathers of the Church, lives of the saints, and Church teaching—especially that of Pope Francis—as she explores the relationship between our stuff and our spiritual lives. Practical elements offer a step-by-step approach to decluttering living spaces, getting rid of unused and excess items, and limiting future accumulation.
128 pages, Paperback
Published February 2, 2018
35 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 26, 2018
Making Room for God is a refreshingly honest and realistic approach to getting your stuff in order. Not just your physical stuff, but your spiritual stuff, too. And as Mary Elizabeth Sperry demonstrates, they are related.
I didn't set down this book with a sure-fire prescription for converting my small house teeming with too many things into a home magazine showcase. Instead (and much to my delight), I left with confirmation of what I've long felt in my heart, a comfort in knowing that I'm not alone, a fuller understanding of how and why my house is in the state it is, a willingness to be a bit gentler with my failings, hope that I can tackle the clutter, and some concrete ways in which to do so.
So often, self-help books read as if the author has descended from the heavens, offering scraps of arcane knowledge that will magically transform the reader from a clueless failure into a new creation - no backsliding allowed. Making Room for God allows the reader to come beside the author on a journey in which she both commiserates and shares what she's learned so far.
I'd recommend Making Room for God to anyone looking to make sense of the mess around them and seeking to restore some order.
I didn't set down this book with a sure-fire prescription for converting my small house teeming with too many things into a home magazine showcase. Instead (and much to my delight), I left with confirmation of what I've long felt in my heart, a comfort in knowing that I'm not alone, a fuller understanding of how and why my house is in the state it is, a willingness to be a bit gentler with my failings, hope that I can tackle the clutter, and some concrete ways in which to do so.
So often, self-help books read as if the author has descended from the heavens, offering scraps of arcane knowledge that will magically transform the reader from a clueless failure into a new creation - no backsliding allowed. Making Room for God allows the reader to come beside the author on a journey in which she both commiserates and shares what she's learned so far.
I'd recommend Making Room for God to anyone looking to make sense of the mess around them and seeking to restore some order.
May 30, 2019
I’ve read a lot of books about decluttering, and I really appreciated the Catholic/spiritual angle of this one. I loved how she discussed the deeper sin issues that often lead to our consumerism. I found myself rolling my eyes at her “routine,” as a single working woman. I can’t imagine how easy it would be to tidy up, leave for work all day and come home to a clean house. So it wasn’t exactly applicable to my home life with three kids all day. But I appreciated her refreshing approach and it did made me think more deeply about our material possessions.
August 22, 2022
Pretty much every other Christian book on decluttering I've read has been much the same as secular books on decluttering, with perhaps a sprinkle of Bible verses or the odd mention of Jesus.
This one gets right into the guts of our relationships with God, stuff, and other people - and the way they all interrelate. It cuts to the heart of the issues, and that alone makes it probably the best book on decluttering I've read.
This one gets right into the guts of our relationships with God, stuff, and other people - and the way they all interrelate. It cuts to the heart of the issues, and that alone makes it probably the best book on decluttering I've read.
March 17, 2018
One of the few books on de-cluttering that makes sense. The author doesn’t claim to be an expert, a guru, or someone who organized the medicine cabinet while she was still in utero.
Instead, she guides us along a Catholic based walk that reminds us that de-cluttering - like faith - is an ongoing process.
This book is a comfortable and smooth read, and will be a joy to share with others.
Instead, she guides us along a Catholic based walk that reminds us that de-cluttering - like faith - is an ongoing process.
This book is a comfortable and smooth read, and will be a joy to share with others.
December 17, 2020
Great book
Really enjoyed it and liked that it’s not a typical decluttering book, it really explores the spirituality of bringing life to order.
Really enjoyed it and liked that it’s not a typical decluttering book, it really explores the spirituality of bringing life to order.
December 31, 2017
Some decluttering books are written by people who act like they have it all together. Those books are not for me. Sperry readily admits that she has a lot of work to do, and that her home is not perfectly neat and tidy all the time. I like the connections made between homemaking and the spiritual life. This book addresses necessary topics like spiritual discipline, reconciliation, prayer, and materialism. The best chapter, in my opinion, is the one where the author draws parallels between clutter and sin. (Advance review copy received from publisher; this book releases 2/2/18).
July 5, 2019
Perfect self-help book that spoke with honesty, humor, faith and practicality. The author kept on saying the right thing, addressing the problem of clutter in our homes, minds, hearts and lives, and backing it all up with spot-on bible verses and practical advice. I wanted to highlight everything (couldn't, library book! and can't buy book, would add to my clutter!)
May 29, 2018
Really enjoyed how the author tied decluttering and closeness to God together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2020
This book was so sweet and touched on some different thoughts about one’s spirtual life and how clutter can get in the way.
August 6, 2018
An accessible book that deals with the spiritual aspects of clutter in ways that doesn't feel overwhelming. Gave practical solutions and lots of thoughtful perspectives to reflect over.
February 13, 2018
G.K. Chesterton once wrote: 'There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.' These are extremely wise words for pack rats, and Mary Elizabeth Sperry's book will not only help you to declutter. It will also help you to desire less.
Some early Church Fathers, such as Saint Anthony, escaped from the Roman Empire, to live ascetic lives and become closer to God. They owned nothing and ate very little. This was partly because they wanted to separate themselves from attachment to material possessions so that they could become closer to God. As Sperry writes, they were the true forerunners of today's minimalists.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines sin as 'failure in genuine love for God and neighbour caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods'. (CCC, 1849) (Buddhism states that misery is caused by attachment). Possessions can separate us from God and from other people. Sperry explains how and why this is so, and combines the spiritual advantages and reasons for decluttering and gives practical tips in this well-written book. She writes about spiritual discipline, gratitude and generosity as well as how sins, such as envy, can lead to accumulating more 'stuff'. There are exercises at the end of each chapter to help.
I also found Sperry's struggles with her own clutter similar to mine, and rather endearing. For example, she sometimes has to look through several cabinets and drawers to find a utensil. She also almost lost a job opportunity because the offer got mixed up with the spam! It was good to read this, and know that I am not alone!
This is highly recommended for Catholics, or indeed, any Christians who feel that they need a more spiritual approach to getting rid of clutter.
Some early Church Fathers, such as Saint Anthony, escaped from the Roman Empire, to live ascetic lives and become closer to God. They owned nothing and ate very little. This was partly because they wanted to separate themselves from attachment to material possessions so that they could become closer to God. As Sperry writes, they were the true forerunners of today's minimalists.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines sin as 'failure in genuine love for God and neighbour caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods'. (CCC, 1849) (Buddhism states that misery is caused by attachment). Possessions can separate us from God and from other people. Sperry explains how and why this is so, and combines the spiritual advantages and reasons for decluttering and gives practical tips in this well-written book. She writes about spiritual discipline, gratitude and generosity as well as how sins, such as envy, can lead to accumulating more 'stuff'. There are exercises at the end of each chapter to help.
I also found Sperry's struggles with her own clutter similar to mine, and rather endearing. For example, she sometimes has to look through several cabinets and drawers to find a utensil. She also almost lost a job opportunity because the offer got mixed up with the spam! It was good to read this, and know that I am not alone!
This is highly recommended for Catholics, or indeed, any Christians who feel that they need a more spiritual approach to getting rid of clutter.
did-not-finish
May 20, 2019More Catholic than I am, and the font and margins are bugging me. Maybe pick up later.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews