A peak in someone's closet can tell you so much about them. One of the revelations I had during hard lockdown in 2020 is that I did not own near enough lounging clothes. I realised, with the need to be home with absolutely nowhere to go, that my wardrobe was rather serious and thus not very suitable for lazing around. We look to our closets to organise, store and preserve the lives of our most prized possessions and outfits. Sometimes they are neatly stacked according to purpose and occasion, sorted by color with work clothes on one side, pants, dress suits and more elaborate occasional evening or traditional wear on the other side.
When the occasion calls, we instinctively know which part of the closet to venture to in order to honor the invitation. The various occasions of life, the mundane routines, and sometimes shocking and disorientating detours such as the pandemic, inform the way clothes are neatly stacked in our closets and changes that demand to be made. Whether you choose to examine your closet or not, its life carries on. More clothes are added, more coats and costumes, heavy enough to collapse the rails, less air moving around it. Sometimes, one is inspired to let go of some items, the ones you bought on an emotional day, the ones that looked better on someone else, the ones that looked better online than they did when the arrived in a package you could hardly wait for.
I make it a point to examine the contents of my closets at least annually to accomplish two things: 1. To rid my closets of items I have not used in over 2 years, I normally pass on choice items to a loved one or the needy.
2. To switch the clothes according to season, to store away winter clothes in summer and the other way round.
During this exercise, I am often confronted with a number of unpleasant truths about myself:
1. I have not kept the promise I made to myself to loose 2 dress sizes since the last closet overhaul.
2. I am a hoarder, who keeps a lot of things I do not use nor need.
3. I have not accepted that I am not the same size I was in 2010.
4. I bought similar items of clothing because I forgot about the other as I had no clue what happens in the chaos of my closet.
Like a closet overhaul, it is of absolute necessity to check in with self on a regular basis. In order to know how you are doing, you need to have an idea of what your overall (neat closet) wellbeing looks like in all areas of your life. Is your closet a functioning mess or a ticking time bomb, one coat away from losing composure? What does it look like to not only survive but thrive in your relationships, your spirituality, your authenticity, career and others.
Just a like an unkempt closet, a life is without a deliberate system is overwhelming, uninspiring and confusing. In order for you to show up appropriately garbed for the occasion life calls you to, even if it be another pandemic, (God forbid) you need to be able to reach out and get what you need at a specific juncture. Life sometimes requires that you attack it, sometimes it requires wise and systematic maneuvering or even refraining from taking action. When you have taken the time to honestly evaluate your life, you are able to make appropriate decisions about your life and chart the way forward. You are able to decide on the habits that need establishing and those that need getting rid of. You are able to pin point areas you have been showing up as someone else, areas you have kept unnecessary burdens and opinions, areas you have ignored valuable traits about you and things yet to be discovered.
Just as the invitation to any occasion gives an indication of how you need to show up, that is the event theme, you need to know the theme of your life. That theme is consistent with the specific season of your life and your identity. You need to be clear about who you are and where you are. As such, it is not something you concoct simply because it caught your eye whilst scrolling on Instagram, nor is it something you copy from someone else. It is deliberate and specific. The bible in Romans 12v2 TPT says "Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes."
Thus, the ultimate goal for the order you create for your life, is for the glory of God. It is not what the next person does, nor is it what worked for them. Whether, you'll revisit and evaluate, your relationships, your financial habits, your fitness goals, my prayer for you is that at the end of it you let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matt 5:16) NKJV
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