Simplify

I am discovering That I so very much love the word, " simplify" not just the way it looks as art, but the meaning of it.
When I walk into a room that has been "simplified", I am at peace, I can think clearly, and I just feel calm.
I was just now cleaning my kitchen, after being gone a couple of days followed by getting sick. As it all started to clear, and MY kitchen started to emerge out from underneath the chaotic clutter of daily living mixed into the hurricane that happens when mom gets sick and no one picks up after him/herself; I had what my mom calls a,"lightbulb" moment... Except I had so many realizations at once, it was more like a flood light! 
I like my house a certain way. I go to great lengths to make it cute. Every piece of furniture or decor in our home tells a little bit of a story. My home is an expression of who I am, you might say. I love my home,( mind you, not necessarily the building).My family and life that Marc and I have created together. We could live in any house( and have lived in many ), But each one becomes what we make of it. 
Because I love our home, I try to take care of it the best I can. I have discovered how when I keep things simple; not perfect,( I have three kids, and a ton of pets),but neat, and simple, the atmosphere changes. I can almost breathe easier. This change I see not just in myself, but my husband,and my children, thus effecting the whole house.
Now, think for a moment about our inside home. The part of us who is known by only ourselves and God.
Shouldn't we care as much, if not more about the condition of our "inside home"? 
Wouldn't it be nice to be free of the clutter and chaos and the junk that we don't really want anymore, but just haven't given it to goodwill?
Maybe its time we pay attention to the closets, drawers and stash places in our hearts. 
Im talking about going beyond the daily upkeep of dishes, and laundry. Beyond the hum-drum of daily life. God did not design us to be chaotic cluttered messes. He designed us to be free, through our relationship with Him. 
Maybe its time to just simply, Simplify.