Everyone Has a Junk Drawer

As I was putting dishes away, I opened my cupboard above our counter to stash our thermal coffee cup away...you know the kind...the ones that are big and clunky and not dishwasher safe (but I put in the dishwasher anyway). They are too big for the normal cup cabinet and there really isn't a good place in the other cabinets for them, so into the "junk cabinet" they go. As I was up on my tippy toes trying to put the cup in an upright position and slam the door closed before it or anything else could fall out, I thought to myself, "geesh what a poor house keeper I am". And then just as quickly said to myself, "Who am I kidding? Everyone has junk cabinets, or drawers, or closets for that matter." If you are reading this blog and think to yourself, "I don't have a junk drawer." let me the first to give you a reality check....yes you do. It may not be a cabinet like mine, it may not even be that obvious to the naked eye, but you do have one.

As human beings we tend to deny the "junk drawers" in our lives too, don't we? We look at other people's lives and can quickly point out their messes but when we look at ourselves we see tidy little kitchens where everything has a place. This is true sometimes. But there are times when some think they are the only one with cluttered lives (me included). Is either one better then the other? No. Both perspectives are entirely selfish.

The Tidy Kitchens of this world think they have it all together. These are the people who say, "my kid would NEVER throw a fit like that" or "if they could manage their schedule better, maybe they would be on time for once." They also literally judge a persons home. Trust me, your quick scan of the place and wrinkle of your nose at the sight of a dirty sock or a pile of laundry does not go unnoticed. At first those kind of people used to intimidate me and make me very self-conscious. I would drive myself crazy trying to clean before they came over or be horrified if they just stopped by and the house wasn't picked up. Yes, I remember those days very vividly. Those were the days I was constantly exhausted, constantly stressed out, and constantly taking it out on the kids and husband.

Then you have the Lone Junkers. The people who say, "I am the only one I know who can't keep up the laundry." or "If only I had a nicer house, or more behaved kids." Have you ever asked yourself this one?: "Why do my kids trash the house, when so and so's kids clean up after themselves?" Okay, you got me...I have been there, done that. Woe is me. I might sound pretty harsh right now, and I don't mean to....or maybe I do, but hear me out. A reality check for the heart is always a good thing every once in awhile.

All you Tidy Kitchens out there need to realize you have junk drawers too. There isn't a single person who is clutter free in this life. And we wont be, for that matter, until we see Jesus face to face. There is freedom in admitting you have faults. Yes, we should all strive to be the very best human beings possible, but knowing everyone makes mistakes including yourself, allows you to be more patient and forgiving. It allows you to extend grace even when it is not deserved.

For all you Lone Junkers, enough all ready! Stop with the lamenting and give yourself a break! You are not the only one with junk drawers filled to the brim with the misplaced batteries and pens of this life. Stop feeling sorry for yourself or beating yourself up and do something about it. Whether it is purging and throwing away things that you know you will never use or need,or maybe you just need to hone your organization skills a little. Or just maybe you need to do some business with the One who is an expert clutter extractor. And remember, you don't have to do this on your own. A couple years ago, a good friend of mine was completely fed up with her unorganized kitchen. She swallowed her pride and asked me to come over and help her clean out her cupboards. She kept saying "but if you don't want to, you don't have to," I went over right away and we had a blast rolling our sleeves up and decluttering her kitchen. And might I say, we had quite a few laughs over the amount of cookbooks she had and never used.

If life has gotten overwhelming (either physically, mentally, or spiritually) call up a good friend, someone you can trust. Someone that isn't afraid of your junk or wont judge you for having a coffee thermos in the same cabinet with CD's and matches and eyeglass cleaner. You get the picture. And if you have been the one doing the judging, step back for a second and analyze your own junk drawers. I bet when you do that, other junk drawers won't look so horrifying.