It is hard to believe that March is halfway over! Wow, 2009 is going by fast!
This past weekend, we stayed busy getting ready for a massive yard sale we’re doing the first weekend in April. Now, I love having a yard sale and usually do one the first weekend in June, but this sale got moved up. It’s essentially the “sell everything that’s not nailed down” sale because of our family’s situation and we all pitched in moving everything from one room to the garage where it will sit until April 3. (Yard sale tip #1 – always hold your sale the first weekend of the month when the majority of people get paid.)
After we put everything in the garage and a neighbor kid came by and asked if we were moving, which we quickly assured him we were not, we got ready to go into the house and rest for a bit. I noticed our little boy sitting among the boxes of stuff with a wistful look on his face.
“Caleb, what are you doing?”
“Oh, just sitting here ‘membering the memories,” my almost 8-year-old replied, Mr. Drama himself.
I smiled. In many ways, I could relate. As we had carried things out, I thought about some of those memories, and some of the “stuff” we were letting go.
What I’d realized, though, was that it was just stuff. Objects. Items. In fact, the more we put in the garage, the less cluttered my house looked! My kitchen looked really clean! Why didn’t I do this years ago?
I smiled at my son. “You know, it’s not the “stuff” that makes the memories. We’re the ones who make the memories. And we can keep those.” He looked up and smiled. “You’re right, Mom!” Oh, how I love that phrase!
In this challenging season we’re in (and there are many of us out there I know who are facing a tough season right now), I am learning that sometimes we need to get down to the basics and remove the clutter. Give it away or sell it in a garage sale. We don’t need the clutter. The extra. The multiples. We only need the basics.
What will get us from Point A to Point B? What will sustain us and feed us and grow us? What will bring us joy, not just busyness? What will bring us peace, and not just more to clean?
Our spiritual lives need the basics too. Prayer. Daily Bible reading. An honest relationship with God. We need to remove the clutter of what we don’t need – too many extra activities, too much time spent reading other people’s thoughts about God (And yes, I know, I’m saying this as an author who really hopes you will read my books about God – just read God’s Book first), too much time worrying about what others think about us and not enough worrying about what God thinks. We don’t spend enough time thinking about and praying to God ourselves.
Yes, we need to let go of “stuff” – of fear, of regrets, of failures, of wistful whining. And focus on the Basics. God’s love for us. His plan for us. And our trust in Him. Our love for Him. Our dependence on Him.
Tough seasons like this will come and go, just like yard sales. But God has always been there, and He always will. That is one memory I can always hold onto.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
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Beautifully said.
Thank you for the reminder!
Good to be reminded. In my own personal storm I realized yesterday that I was seeking other people to help with the situation when I know that God has it in control anyway. I just need to sit back and relax.
~Delta Whiskey
Great post, Sara. One of my goals in 2009 was to declutter…and it’s a process I’m going through right now myself.
I’m sitting here thinking, “Wow! That was beautifully written.” Your writing truly is a gift from God and I’m thankful for you!