Box Worthy

Hi friends – a client I’ll call Whitney recently shared an insight that I really appreciated: how our homes are like giant boxes we fill with things needed for living, and that also serve other purposes. Inside them we have sliding boxes that are drawers in dressers, inner ones that are cupboards and closets, and within these are dozens of other smaller boxes with things in them. They each store pieces of our lives. At times, our stuff gets transported in boxes with wheels (trucks), floating boxes (cargo ships) and flying boxes (airplanes). But the boxes we keep should hold things worth opening again and again, just like gifts contained in beautifully wrapped packages.

It’s a simple observation, but it points to a deeper question. What are we choosing to keep in our own boxes? Whitney thought about how they are meant to hold things with purpose, yet so often we fill them without thinking much about what we toss in them. Many of us feel overwhelmed—not just by physical clutter, but by the weight of what we haven’t let go of. When we accumulate too much stuff, we might become literally “boxed in.” We feel stuck, distracted, and unable to function. Whitney realized that having too many things lying around from her past that no longer serve any purpose smothered her ability to be present in the moment, which is the best present she can give herself and others.

As she began weeding through things she had accumulated, she realized some helped her remember times and people who were important. This was fulfilling. Yet she also held onto lots of items in an attempt to freeze time, hoping to someday relive a season. Some items were worth keeping, but many defeated the purpose and took away from the meaning of them. This helped her see that less is more, and that each family member would do better with just one box for their most precious things (even this could be more than her adult kids wanted or needed!). She began to ask whether each item was worth taking up space—and whether it stole from being present. It led her to coin the term “box worthy”.

This is about discerning what is truly worth keeping. Once space is created, we still need wisdom to decide what fills it. Inspired by Whitney’s approach, consider choosing a box in your home and filling it only with items that matter—things that point you back to gratitude, love, or a special memory—and use that as your filter. Ask yourself if it’s worth sacrificing your present moments in order to revisit the past. Going back in time is fine, but it has to be worth it. It needs to be gratifying on some level, not just be a trip through old stuff that feels like a wasteland with no meaning. We too can ask ourselves, is it “box worthy”?

I love how all of this reflects the truth that we are God’s vessels (that is, “boxes”) created to carry the light of Jesus into the world around us. What we carry matters, in our bodies as well as in our homes. As 2 Timothy 2:21 reminds us, when we rid ourselves of what doesn’t belong, we become set apart and useful for His purpose. When we release what was never meant to stay, we create space for peace, presence, and the work of the Holy Spirit. There is freedom in letting go with faith. We can trust God with the past and ask Him to help us to carry only what is truly “box worthy” into the future.

Coaching Connection:

1. What am I currently holding onto that may no longer be box worthy?
2. If I truly see myself as God’s vessel, carrying His Light, what do I need to keep or let go of?

To Your Growth,