If we don't attack the heart of the issue - the fear, guilt, and shame in our lives that cause us to buy what we don't really need - we are going to use that clutter to build our own prisons and keep us from connecting with others.

Why do I have to be prepared for every possibility?... It's just fear.Fear that I won't have enough. Fear that I will be stuck without something and not know what to do.

Some of those are small things that we keep around, hoping to find something redemptive to do with them. Other times, we keep our mistakes around in order to remind ourselves of what seems like a horrible, irreparable mistake.

Another thing we must recognize about clutter is that it's active. Even if it's just sitting there on a shelf or buried in a box, clutter is actively working in our lives.