As I look around my room, I see the emptiness from where my items once resided. A part of me feels relieved, while another part feels guilty.

Holding onto unnecessary baggage was costing me my peace.

Ouch.

---

On television, they make it seem like when someone pursues sobriety, they are giving up their vice at absolutely no cost. The reality is, when we enter sobriety, we are paying a price- we are trading our vice for dependency on something (hopefully, less addictive) than our current vice. From drugs and alcohol, many turn to cigarettes. From cigarettes, many turn to food. Often, some turn from all of those things and chase after religion. Whatever it may be, those battling substance use issues let go of one in pursuit of another. For me, I was letting go of chaos in pursuit of true peace … and my hefty price was 30 years of clutter.

Literally and figuratively speaking.

About 17 days ago, my patient and caring boyfriend, King, came over and spent over five hours helping me organize the mess and clutter that was my room. Then, after that painstaking experience, he loaded six huge bags from my house and into his car, four with trash and two with clothing donations. He even took a seventh bag with important documents to be shredded. His unselfish act of love not only reminded me of God’s words in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, but also reminded me that I have to release some things in order to heal.

Removing the decades’ worth of items that had clogged my room was a tangible manifestation of the clutter that dwelled in my mind. My diagnoses were drowning me from the inside out, and something had to give for me to survive. With only 16 days left in 2025, I am resting in the truth that this is more than enough time for God to truly change my life for my good. Even as I type this, a song is playing that says, “get ready for the good life, we’re headed for the good life.” My heart is jumping for joy because those are words that I not only believe, but words that I can truly feel happening right this minute.

Praise God!
Be blessed.