Last January, the now famous series “Tidying up with Marie Kondo” was released on Netflix. If you’re not familiar, this series is a reality tv show that follows Japanese organizing consultant, Marie Kondo to families homes where she helps them to declutter and eliminate any items that do not “spark joy” in their lives. Pierce and I, with our interest in all things Japanese culture watched this series all the way through and shortly thereafter began applying her method to our own home. It turned out to be rather timely because shortly thereafter we felt God calling us to mission work in Japan. This series started us on the ongoing process of downsizing in preparation for the much smaller living of Tokyo Japan. “Marie Kondo-ing,” meaning pulling everything out of a closet, drawer, or shelves to eliminate the things you no longer need or want, has become a verb in our home that’s resulted in several trips to goodwill, ebay listings, and trash runs. Also my dresser drawers have never been neater. There are certainly a lot of practical tips to be gleaned from the Marie Kondo method. However, if you’ve seen the series or read her book you may have noticed some “odd” motions and ideas. Marie begins her visits by leading the families in greeting their homes and expressing gratitude for it’s shelter and warmth. She also encourages people to honor the things that spark joy by keeping them cleaned, neatly stored and organized and to eliminate the things that do not “spark joy” after thanking them for their service. These things are a direct result of Marie Kondo’s Shinto upbringing. Shintoism is the indigenous “religion” of Japan and is foundational in the traditions and culture of the entire country. In the article “What White, Western Audiences Don’t Understand About Marie Kondo’s ‘Tidying Up’”by Margaret Dilloway for HuffPost explains the story behind the Marie Kondo method from personal experience. Dilloway, granddaughter of a Shinto Priest explains, “Kami are Shinto spirits present everywhere — in humans, in nature, even in inanimate objects. At an early age, I understood this to mean that all creations were miracles of a sort. I could consider a spatula used to cook my eggs with the wonder and mindful appreciation.” Understanding this concept of Kami is key to understanding many aspects of Japanese culture and the attraction of the Marie Kondo method. Marie Kondo was the inspiration for my now neatly organized and significantly less full walk-in closet but I assure you there is nothing in that closet that sparks joy. There are plenty of things that spark gratitude and appreciation for God’s provision and happy memories but our goal in “Marie Kondo-ing” at our house is to remove the items that will impede our ability to invite people into our lives so they can witness the joy that only knowing Jesus can give.
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