Though I don’t often discuss my personal faith on Becoming Minimalist, biblical wisdom has shaped my minimalism journey probably more than anything else. And I believe they can benefit anyone—regardless of where they stand spiritually. In fact, here are eight decluttering principles found in the Bible that can benefit all of us.

“Necessity is the mother of invention.” 

This phrase, or some version thereof, goes all the way back to the mid-6th century.  It has been used to explain the reason and the need for so many things. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell thought it would be nice to be able to talk to each other over wires as opposed to just reading something someone said.

Spring in Chicago, which sometimes feels like an oxymoron, is officially here.  It’s lovely.  The birds are singing, the spring perennials in my garden have beaten the odds and bloomed amidst the freezing-to-hot-to-freezing weather we’ve had, and, miracle of miracles, summer is closer every day.