Sunday, March 30, 2008

Excess Baggage

Do you have excess baggage that is weighing you down? No, I'm not talking about your weight, I am talking about material things. Why do Americans accumulate so much stuff? This question has been weighing on me for the past 18 months. Is it because people have voids in their life that they are trying to fill? Are these voids not being filled by their spouse, their past, or most importantly, their relationship with God? In the past 18 months, I have been donating and thrifting things in our house and our storage shed. Would you believe that each month, my check covers the cost of one or two tanks of gas for our vehicles? I am finding that getting rid of the clutter in our closets and elsewhere is not only improving my relationship with my kids and husband, but I am growing closer to God. It is so true that material things weigh people down, hence the term "baggage". What voids are you trying to fill in your life? I encourage all of you to clean out your closets, drawers, but most importantly you heart. I pray that all of you will find the, "peace that surpasses all understanding..." (Philippians 4:7), and that God, "will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4b).

7 comments:

Erin said...

What a wonderful post!! I have been trying to do the same in our house and it has made life so much easier. And the kids don't seem to notice that they have fewer and fewer toys. :)

Erin

Anonymous said...

I'm doing the exact same thing. You just never realize how much baggage you have both mentally and in your house. Thanks for an awesome post.

Kate said...

Oh, this is a GREAT post! This is something my husband and I strive for DAILY! We're constantly purging. (sometimes my husband does it a little TOO much, and something I'm looking for will be "missing"!!)

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and commenting! As far as the Mei Tei goes, Shelly MADE it!! So I assume the fabric is from Jo-Ann's. She said she got the pattern on-line. Do you sew? If you do, and are interested in making your own, I'll be happy to get more details from Shelly and pass them your way! Just drop a comment on my blog somewhere!

Blessings to you and yours! I'm off to read a little more of your blog!

Christie said...

Amen, sister. I think once you move a few times and boxed all your junk (as you've undoubtedly done in the military), stuff seems much less important. This was great.

Unknown said...

It's funny because I have been thinking about the same thing a lot lately! While I am a pretty clean person, I certainly have a ton of stuff. I remember when we built our home four years ago, I marveled at how we could never fill it all.

It took only six months.

Must declutter...

Sarah@Life in the Parsonage said...

Ok, so I read through several posts (so fun!) but this one hit me hard. It is SO true! Now after the floods, there is just so much JUNK everywhere! Some was precious, but MOST was just extra junk people had. Good-bye junk :)

Genny said...

Great post! Thanks for your comment over at Faith Lifts. What a beautiful spot you have here!

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