"In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble." II Timothy 2:20
No, we haven't really overloaded Goodwill but we have taken enough stuff there that I've wondered if they are still glad to see us. Maybe if we keep taking things of value they will be ok!
We are moving from 2200 square feet to around 1450. None of our kids are living at home anymore and it seems to me that 1450 square feet, with a full basement should be plenty of room for two simple people! Wev'e said we want to downsize. Hmmm. Easier said than done!
Velma has been great at both not accumulating a lot of stuff over the years and occasionally doing a "cleansing" in various parts of the house. I appreciate that. The cleansing has gotten more serious, however, as we are trying to deal with the reality that there just won't be room for all the stuff. We are faced with decisions like, do you throw away old birthday cards from people you love? Do you throw away syllabi and notes from college or graduate school classes? If you haven't used something for years, is there any reason to keep it, no matter how valuable it is? If someone else could get some use of it, wouldn't it make sense to recycle it through Goodwill, or, if you are in the Goshen area, the Depot? Are we really going to just take things to the new place that are used for "noble purposes", or will be hang onto some stuff that might be valuable but just takes up space and has no real value to us?
As difficult as this is, we know it is good for us. It gets me asking the questions like "What really is the purpose of all this stuff anyway? Do I need extra "stuff" to meet some security need? Do I just not want to make decisions? Am I depending on 'things' for something they can't do? Why would I be afraid of "needing" something and it not being immediately available? Am I committed not to ask anyone for something they would be glad to lend? Is self-sufficiency that important? Will we really be unhappy with less stuff? Or will we be happier?"
Jesus said the gate is narrow that leads to Life. I think I hear a little hint in that that our attachments hinder our freedom to really live. I suppose we could say that it would be good to hold loosely anything that burns (or melts.) Perhaps less is more. Perhaps more is less.(That would be just like God, wouldn't it, to do that backwards sort of thing!)
As we are moving I'm going to try to stay with the question "What matters here?" There will be a lot that matters, but I'm not sure how much will be related to the actual stuff . . . or the place we put it.
"God, now you know we don't have nearly the stuff that many other people that we respect have, but that really isn't relevant here anyway. Just help me to keep coming back to what is important as I go home this afternoon and start moving stuff. Amen"
I work with individuals, couples, and families to identify the ways of life and death in their lives and help uncover the motivation to choose that which leads to life, whether it be through counseling or spiritual direction. - Sheldon Swartz, MA/LMFT | 
