Room to GROW

My house was cluttered with all the stuff I'd bought. Was my soul cluttered too?

- JULIA UBBENGA

Every morning, I sit at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee and take a deep breath of gratitude.

I look around at the open, airy spaces. The clean counters and floors. Even with a full house—Justin and I have five children—there’s no mess, no clutter. Everything has breathing room, especially me. It’s not because I’m an amazing housekeeper or a perfect wife and mom. I feel at peace because our house wasn’t always like this.... I wasn’t always like this. It took getting rid of 75 percent of our belongings. And more important, letting go of what was cluttering my soul so I could clear space for God.

I grew up in small-town Pella, Iowa. My mom stayed home with my two brothers and me, and my dad worked in window sales. I had a great childhood—faith and family were everything—but my parents didn’t have the budget for extras. That's where my maternal grandmother came in. She called me her favorite granddaughter and spoiled me like crazy. “Is that my Julia Ann?” she’d say when she saw me. I’d squeal with delight as she handed me a new doll or toy. In my teens, we grew even closer. We'd stroll the malls for hours, and Grandma would buy me special gifts. “Just making sure you don’t want for anything,” she said. Accumulating possessions made me feel secure and cared for. More stuff equaled more happiness.

That mindset stayed with me when I went to college, though the shopping trips were curtailed. My senior year at William Jewell College in Missouri, where I played on the softball team, I met Justin, another senior. He played baseball, and we clicked. Like me, Justin was big on faith and church.