553 Cleaning Your Closet, Guilt, and Lent
Do you feel guilty that you’re not doing more? Keeping your house up to snuff? Taking care of yourself and others? If guilt seems to follow you around wherever you go, then this episode is for you!
Kathi is talking with author and Bible teacher Barb Roose about her struggles with perfectionism and performance, and how that affects both her closet and her faith in God.
Here are Barb’s 3 rules for a better closet:
- Don’t wear it if it makes you sad.
- If it doesn’t fit your current body or style, get rid of it.
- Don’t let fear or shame make you keep clothing that doesn’t fit your current size.
Barb says that our closets are full of memories, and our relationship with God is the same way. How can we move on from experiences in our past that bring up feelings of guilt today? Barb has been on a spiritual journey: moving from a place where guilt robbed her of feeling like she could connect with God, to a place of freedom and understanding of how big God’s love is.
Her life has been changed by focusing more on the promises of God, and less on her performance for Him. Her favorite prayer in a time of need? “Save me O God.” That 4 word prayer is a whole prayer. Barb reminds us of God’s promise from Isaiah 43: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.”
So take a deep breath, remember God’s promises to you, and then do the next right thing.
Giveaway
Barb is giving a copy of her book to one lucky Clutter Free Academy listener! To enter, let us know in the comments below what is one thing, figuratively or literally, that you want to declutter from your closet.
Finding Jesus in the Psalms: A Lenten Journey
Looking for less guilt and more Jesus? That is what Barb Roose promises you will find in her new book, Finding Jesus in the Psalms: A Lenten Journey. Inside you will find an exploration of Jesus in the Old Testament as we see Jesus through the Psalms of David. Each week features one psalm that focuses on how Jesus is showing up in the reality of life. God has a much bigger plan and we have a hope that is not just for today, but is a hope for eternity, especially when life is feeling really hard.
Order your copy of Finding Jesus in the Psalms: A Lenten Journey here.
Links Mentioned:
Kathi’s Favorites:
Meet Our Guest
Barb Roose
Barb is a real woman who has experienced depression and anxiety, parenting challenges, family addiction trauma and long seasons of walking by faith in unanswered prayer. Rather than teaching audiences to follow God to get what they want, Barb inspires audiences to discover that God is all they need!
Writing creative and challenging Bible studies brings Barb great joy! She’s the author of multiple Bible studies, including: Surrendered: Letting Go and Living Like Jesus, I’m Waiting, God: Finding Blessing in God’s Delays, Joshua: Winning the Worry Battle and Breakthrough: Finding Freedom in Christ. She is also the author of multiple books including Surrendered: 40 Days to Help You Let Go and Live Like Jesus Devotional, Winning the Worry Battle: Life Lessons from the Book of Joshua and Enough Already: Winning Your Ugly Struggle with Beauty . Her newest book is Finding Jesus in the Psalms: A Lenten Journey.
Barb lives in NW Ohio and she is the proud mom to three adult children. Barb enjoys traveling, reading, walking and whenever possible, she prefers to eat dessert first.
Transcript
More Posts
The Me Project Mini Project Day #5 Celebrate Your Steps
Do you recognize the steps you've already taken? Do you see how far you've already come? I really do believe that when we are walking the path that God has set out for us, we attract the people, circumstances, and things we need to make to get closer to our God-given...
The Me Project Day #4 Mini Challenge – Commit to One thing for 20 Minutes
Your Project If God is telling you to wait on part or all of your goal, figure out what you can do right now, to get started. From the time I wanted to write THE ME PROJECT (formerly called, YOU GOAL GIRL!) from the time it was released, it was 10 years. Ugh. I had to...
The Me Project Day #3 Peer Pressure for Grown Ups
Getting a Couple of People to Hold You Accountable Your Project Find a couple of women to hold you accountable for your goal. It can be someone who lives close, or an internet or phone friend. Every woman has done it. You get up early New Year’s morning. You write...
- #688 – Declutter Your Books in 15 Minutes a Shelf: Forever Shelf vs Flow Shelf for a Peaceful Library - September 23, 2025
- #687 – What’s Lurking Under Your Bed? Declutter the Forgotten Zone for Good - September 16, 2025
- #686 – Declutter Once and For All: Why Your Home’s Chaos Keeps Sneaking Back - September 9, 2025
I will ponder the comment “God wants more for me than from me.” Also really like the hoola hoop visual.
I need to purge enemy lies that sneak into my brain closet.
I want to get rid of clothes that no longer fit. Trying to squeeze into anything that doesn’t fit is exhausting and it just takes up space!
Clothes that are too small and clothes that I don’t wear because I don’t like them.
I need to throw out the boots in my closet that leak.
This has made me rethink how I have stored “too small” clothes. While I’m not ready to get rid of them because I’m working off my extra weight, I need to pull them down and put them in a spare closet. That way I’m not wracked with guilt of how much weight I have gained in the last few years.
I need to declutter clothes that don’t meet this season of my life and those that make me feel bad. I loved this episode. Thanks, Kathi, for introducing me to Barb Roose.
After hearing this episode I need to declutter my closet of the items that make me feel sad because they are not a size that fits me now and doesn’t make me feel wow when I where it. I want to stop hanging on to those – it is filling half my closet and weighing me down. Thank you for having Barb on today!
I NEED to declutter my closet of much of my late mother’s belongings. After she passed I moved into her home and am still having difficulty letting her things go after 13 years.
Me too. I have my mother’s artwork, photos, papers, etc. It’s hard to let go.