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| (photo: no know copyright restrictions) http://www.flickr.com/photos/nypl/3110816246/ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21 I, Sally Smith, am a hoarder. It became increasingly apparent a few years ago when I quit having people over because it meant a whole day trying to find a place for the things that crowded my kitchen table. It really struck me when I had to sort through all my belongings, touching each and deciding whether to keep it or not. I struggled letting things go to Goodwill or auction. There was a cathartic feeling, however, once it was gone...a knowledge in the fact that I really hadn't needed that item and someone else had it and would use it. Why did I collect things? I thought I would either use them myself or resell them and I did neither. They stayed in boxes or on shelves...waiting. My heart became addicted to collecting things. Here's the rest of the passage:19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Mice had actually broken into a box of toys and destroyed many of them.) The first paragraph of the Matthew 6 (NIV) starts with the heading, "Give to the Needy." I think back at the amount of money I wasted on things that sat idly in my house and recall the many ways I could have used that money, a blessing from God, to build His kingdom's work. I'm hoping I learned a lesson from my past hoarding experiences. There are more important things than "Things." |
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Treasures
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I've had several significant moves in my life, and each time I had to go through all my possessions and discard or donate that which I did not really need. Each time I learned that life went on and I survived quite handily without the extra baggage. I still have a lot of stuff that I don't need, but I also know that I don't need it, so I think my perspective is OK. One thing that I do is never have a garage sale. Karon and I just box up the stuff that we would sell and donate it to the Mission Mart stores. Someone else can use it and the Mart makes money which goes to South Side Mission programs. This gives us a good feeling which is much better than the bit of money we might have recouped in a sale.
There won't be any trucks or vans following our hearses to the graveyard...
A long post this. Years ago I would go to estate sales buying furniture to repair/restore and then re-sell. It was always such a downer seeing all the things that the recently deceased cherished that were now just junk. Family photos on the floor, walked on by the buyers. Souvenirs in the garbage can. These experiences also helped me keep the proper perspective on possessions.
Your faith, your family and your friends are your true possessions and you cannot place a value on them, they are more than gold.
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