Everything Doesn’t Belong Everywhere

Accumulation is a part of life. For some people, they like to be surrounded by things, and so they have more than others. On the other side, some like fewer things, even to the point of being minimalist. But we all have things, not just physically, but also in our hearts and minds.

The question is, what do we do with all those things?

A couple of my recent life transitions have had me pondering that, especially when it comes to things that once fit so well in a particular space or season of my life.

One of those transitions involved a physical room change that left me with a beautiful space, but not the same layout. I had to figure out how to make what I had work in a space that worked differently. Doing so required letting some things go and relocating others.

Then there are those ideas and dreams that once sat at the top of my list of things to do that I’ve found myself asking God about: Do they still carry the same significance? Has my season passed? Where to now?

It’s easy to assume that if something is good, useful, meaningful, or even God-given, it should fit everywhere in our lives. But everything doesn’t belong everywhere.

The problem isn’t always the thing itself. It may be that we’re trying to fit or force it into a space where it no longer belongs.

We do this everywhere in our lives, including relationships, opportunities, responsibilities, and even our gifts. Because we evolve and life changes, life doesn’t offer us a one-time-fits-forever deal.

Think about a marriage. If that couple doesn’t learn to grow, adapt, and remain willing to continue getting to know one another, you can have two people ready to call it quits simply because the relationship doesn’t fit the way it used to.

Sometimes what worked before has to be repositioned for where you are now.

It can be difficult to make those adjustments in our lives when we recognize that something still has value but struggle to understand what place it should occupy. It’s even harder when it involves something—or someone—we shouldn’t necessarily exclude, but we do have to figure out where it or they belong now.

And I think that’s where discernment has to become more specific. Discernment isn’t only knowing what belongs in your life. It’s knowing where it belongs in your life.

Something can belong in your life without belonging at the center of it. Someone can belong in your life without having access to every part of it. An opportunity can be good but not be for this season of your life. A gift can be part of who you are without needing to be used in every space you enter. And something God used greatly in one season may need to occupy a different place in the next one.

There are parts of our lives that need to fit into solid categories. Scripture teaches us to discern between good and evil, to test what is before us, hold on to what is good, and reject what is evil. But even with that, there are parts of life that don’t carry that same level of weight because life isn’t always that simple.

Paul wrote, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient.” (1 Corinthians 10:23) In other words, the question isn’t always, “Can I?” Sometimes the better question is, “Does this belong in my life in this season?”

I’ve had seasons where I felt like I was losing my breath from all that was in my hands. But I’ve learned how to pray, discern, hold on where needed, store some things away, relocate others, and let some things go that no longer served my life. Some of what I let go of were good things.

That may be one of the harder lessons of growth. Everything we release doesn’t have to be bad. Everything we reposition doesn’t have to be wrong. And everything that once belonged in one place doesn’t have to remain there forever for us to honor what it meant to us.

Maybe this is a good time to look at what you’re carrying and ask God to help you see it with fresh eyes. Not simply, “Should I keep this or let it go?” but, “Where does this belong in my life now?” Give yourself permission to discover that the answer may be different from what it used to be.

You may need to hold on to it, relocate it, or store it for another season. And yes, you may discover that it’s time to let it go. That’s ok!

Everything doesn’t belong everywhere, and that includes every part of your journey.