"Sell
your possessions and give to the poor.
Provide purses for yourselves
that will not wear out,
a treasure in heaven that will never fail,
where
no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Luke 12:33-34
Good Friday Morning, my dear and sweet Girlfriends!
Today, I simply had to sit down in the middle of my literal "mess" and write to you. I have piles surrounding me everywhere I look: trash piles, donate piles, return-to-owner piles, give-to-friends/family piles, and do not pack piles. Yes, Girlfriends, moving day is upon us. Monday the movers come and the transition begins.
Can I tell you, though, that I have not seen the light of day in over a week. Yes, the ugly truth is that I have been buried in the "stuff" stored in closets, drawers, and the dreaded basement storage areas. Sorting through our entire house, I am amazed at the amount of possessions we have accumulated over the years. Yet why should I be surprised when I am the person who did the majority of the purchasing and collecting! Oh, and then I passed that bad habit on to three girls who also purchased and collected, and then moved to college and left most of it with me.
Can I tell you, though, that I have not seen the light of day in over a week. Yes, the ugly truth is that I have been buried in the "stuff" stored in closets, drawers, and the dreaded basement storage areas. Sorting through our entire house, I am amazed at the amount of possessions we have accumulated over the years. Yet why should I be surprised when I am the person who did the majority of the purchasing and collecting! Oh, and then I passed that bad habit on to three girls who also purchased and collected, and then moved to college and left most of it with me.
Clothing, purses, shoes, furniture, home decor, toys, craft items, electronics, food...buy buy buy....make me happy, give me pleasure....but did they really? That is the question I am asking myself today. Did all of this "stuff" really and truly bring me happiness? For a few fleeting moments, the answer was probably yes. The thrill of the hunt for that great bargain or that special, long-desired treasure brings a rush of adrenaline which persists until the newness wears off or the newer model, style, or upgrade hits the market. Then it is time to start the hunt all over again.
Sadly, however, that adrenaline is a rush that is fleeting. As I move around this house, purging and prepping for packing, what truly stands out in my mind are moments...(sigh) moments... moments engaging with people and with the Lord in each room.
In my kitchen, the stainless steel appliances are shiny and cold but the memories are warm and comforting as I reminisce about the past four years. Sitting at the marker and pen stained kitchen table, I passed numerous hours with the Lord, immersed in His Word as I read, worshiped, planned, and studied for small group lessons or FCA meetings At the breakfast bar, countless conversations with the kids transpired while they snacked after school, or sat relaxing on weekends and during return visits home. That same counter top served as a buffet table for every celebration and gathering: from holidays to birthdays, graduations to wedding showers, Super Bowl days to my annual cookie exchange Christmas party. Old and new friends, family, and even strangers have gathered in this kitchen, praying together for God's blessing over our food and our lives. I cannot recall the fancy dishes nor the food nor the latest gadgets used for its preparation, but I can remember every face and every laugh, and even the tears, that were shared as we ate.
In the family room sits a new sectional couch and the outdated-the-moment-we-opened-the-box HD television, but ringing in my ears is the laughter of ladies and the popping of bubble wrap as I recall last year's Christmas party and the release of holiday stress with every stomp on the wrap. I can see my son wrestling on the floor with his dad or sisters, the sounds of "get-off-me, I-can't-breathe" reverberating off the walls. I envision the girls and their dates to homecoming and prom standing in front of the fireplace with cameras flashing. A tear falls as I recall family photos taken just before my husband left to Afghanistan, but the tears turn to joy recalling the surprised looks and screams of elation from the kids when he walked into the room on Christmas leave. The heat of the fireplace is nothing compared to the warmth in my heart sparked by these remembrances.
Upstairs are closets full of shoes, purses, suits, sweaters, tshirts and hoodies but my soul is clothed in love, grace, mercy, and joy. If the walls could speak, they would ignore their Martha Stewart paint, Ikea shelves, and Cardinals Fathead sticker. Instead, their story would include both heartache and happiness, recalling my daughters' pain and frustration during the first years of adjustment to moving in the middle of high school and having left amazing friendships and a boyfriend. In the middle of one of the worst nights, the tale would be told of a young boy opening his Bible to Isaiah 43, copying what he read in God's Word into a letter to his grieving sister, and bringing it to her room as encouragement to hold fast to the Lord. (And of the mother keeping that letter in her Bible as a reminder of the importance of her work teaching her children to hide God's word in their heart.)
The stories would also include sleepovers with friends and cousins, homework and helping each other study for tests, anticipation for a Hawaiian vacation, and excitement for the move to college. Of course, no biography of a boy is complete without mention of hours playing Xbox Live with friends and family over the internet. But the question remains, does the Xbox create happiness or is it interaction with others that the boy craves? As we prepare to leave these walls behind, I am positive it is the latter. My son is focused on passing his last weeks in person with friends while the Xbox sits idle in his room.
Girlfriends, let us state again today's key verse:
Let us focus not on Coach or Prada purses but on purses sewn of the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Let us store our treasures not in cabinets, closets, and basements, but in our surrendered hearts protected by the Lord, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. Let us invest more in our relationships with family, friends, and the people around us than we invest in earthly goods which only end up in "piles" engulfing us: piles of garbage, piles of discard, piles of wasted resources and time which can never be regained, piles that promised happiness but stole our joy.
"And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun." Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
Ladies, as I pack all we own to move thousands of miles away, not one thing in any box or crate means more to me than the love I have in my heart both for Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, and for my family and friends. God is always faithful to me, and I am a new person since I humbled myself before Him and asked for His saving grace. My family and friends have honored me over and over and over again with their precious love, prayers, support, and companionship. I surely possess the greatest treasures of all eternity.
I pray you will examine your heart today and ask yourself if you can state the same? Is your treasure in things of this world which will fade away, or is it in heaven where you will last forever? '"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Have you given your heart to Jesus? Have you humbled yourself, accepting your sin and asking for His everlasting forgiveness? Have you asked Him to be your Savior, from yourself and from the world? I pray you will loosen your tight grasp of earthly wants and ways, open your hands wide, lift them to the heavens, and find that by letting go you now possess the greatest, most valuable prize you could ever own: salvation of your soul and eternal life. And that, Girlfriends, is something you do not need to put in a box and load on a truck to take with you wherever you go. God now lives inside you by the power of the Holy Spirit and will never, ever leave you. Amen!
Sadly, however, that adrenaline is a rush that is fleeting. As I move around this house, purging and prepping for packing, what truly stands out in my mind are moments...(sigh) moments... moments engaging with people and with the Lord in each room.
In my kitchen, the stainless steel appliances are shiny and cold but the memories are warm and comforting as I reminisce about the past four years. Sitting at the marker and pen stained kitchen table, I passed numerous hours with the Lord, immersed in His Word as I read, worshiped, planned, and studied for small group lessons or FCA meetings At the breakfast bar, countless conversations with the kids transpired while they snacked after school, or sat relaxing on weekends and during return visits home. That same counter top served as a buffet table for every celebration and gathering: from holidays to birthdays, graduations to wedding showers, Super Bowl days to my annual cookie exchange Christmas party. Old and new friends, family, and even strangers have gathered in this kitchen, praying together for God's blessing over our food and our lives. I cannot recall the fancy dishes nor the food nor the latest gadgets used for its preparation, but I can remember every face and every laugh, and even the tears, that were shared as we ate.
In the family room sits a new sectional couch and the outdated-the-moment-we-opened-the-box HD television, but ringing in my ears is the laughter of ladies and the popping of bubble wrap as I recall last year's Christmas party and the release of holiday stress with every stomp on the wrap. I can see my son wrestling on the floor with his dad or sisters, the sounds of "get-off-me, I-can't-breathe" reverberating off the walls. I envision the girls and their dates to homecoming and prom standing in front of the fireplace with cameras flashing. A tear falls as I recall family photos taken just before my husband left to Afghanistan, but the tears turn to joy recalling the surprised looks and screams of elation from the kids when he walked into the room on Christmas leave. The heat of the fireplace is nothing compared to the warmth in my heart sparked by these remembrances.
Upstairs are closets full of shoes, purses, suits, sweaters, tshirts and hoodies but my soul is clothed in love, grace, mercy, and joy. If the walls could speak, they would ignore their Martha Stewart paint, Ikea shelves, and Cardinals Fathead sticker. Instead, their story would include both heartache and happiness, recalling my daughters' pain and frustration during the first years of adjustment to moving in the middle of high school and having left amazing friendships and a boyfriend. In the middle of one of the worst nights, the tale would be told of a young boy opening his Bible to Isaiah 43, copying what he read in God's Word into a letter to his grieving sister, and bringing it to her room as encouragement to hold fast to the Lord. (And of the mother keeping that letter in her Bible as a reminder of the importance of her work teaching her children to hide God's word in their heart.)
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Isaiah 43:2-3
The stories would also include sleepovers with friends and cousins, homework and helping each other study for tests, anticipation for a Hawaiian vacation, and excitement for the move to college. Of course, no biography of a boy is complete without mention of hours playing Xbox Live with friends and family over the internet. But the question remains, does the Xbox create happiness or is it interaction with others that the boy craves? As we prepare to leave these walls behind, I am positive it is the latter. My son is focused on passing his last weeks in person with friends while the Xbox sits idle in his room.
Girlfriends, let us state again today's key verse:
"Sell
your possessions and give to the poor.
Provide purses for yourselves
that will not wear out,
a treasure in heaven that will never fail,
where
no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Luke 12:33-34
Let us focus not on Coach or Prada purses but on purses sewn of the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Let us store our treasures not in cabinets, closets, and basements, but in our surrendered hearts protected by the Lord, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. Let us invest more in our relationships with family, friends, and the people around us than we invest in earthly goods which only end up in "piles" engulfing us: piles of garbage, piles of discard, piles of wasted resources and time which can never be regained, piles that promised happiness but stole our joy.
"And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun." Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
Ladies, as I pack all we own to move thousands of miles away, not one thing in any box or crate means more to me than the love I have in my heart both for Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, and for my family and friends. God is always faithful to me, and I am a new person since I humbled myself before Him and asked for His saving grace. My family and friends have honored me over and over and over again with their precious love, prayers, support, and companionship. I surely possess the greatest treasures of all eternity.
I pray you will examine your heart today and ask yourself if you can state the same? Is your treasure in things of this world which will fade away, or is it in heaven where you will last forever? '"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Have you given your heart to Jesus? Have you humbled yourself, accepting your sin and asking for His everlasting forgiveness? Have you asked Him to be your Savior, from yourself and from the world? I pray you will loosen your tight grasp of earthly wants and ways, open your hands wide, lift them to the heavens, and find that by letting go you now possess the greatest, most valuable prize you could ever own: salvation of your soul and eternal life. And that, Girlfriends, is something you do not need to put in a box and load on a truck to take with you wherever you go. God now lives inside you by the power of the Holy Spirit and will never, ever leave you. Amen!
