Reason #462
Four hours later, the office closet was cleaned out. I've been meaning to do it all week, and all week I've put it off. And so, tonight, Aaron and I spent our Friday evening eating a good ole southern homecooked meal of fried chicken and mashed potatoes (not by me) and unpacking/organzing our belongings. Let me just say, we are both bringing a lot to our marriage...literally speaking.
Tomorrow we are having a garage sale. By we, I mean that I sent a lot of my old things with Aaron and he's going to sell them. We both had a lot to contribute to the sale pile, but after a while of debating what to add and what to keep, I finally had to tell myself, "You haven't used it in at least a year, you know deep down you'll probably not use it ever again, and you forgot you had it anyway." The only problem I have with deciding what stays and goes is the whole maybe factor. Maybe, just maybe, one day down the road I'll need it. Maybe, just maybe, I will wish that I would have never sold it. But as Aaron and I are going to be merging our lives together 3 weeks from today, I realized that I have to make space. I have to make room for him, too. I've done a real good job of filling up my house with things that I don't need or use, and it's time to purge. Time to get rid of those things that are just taking up space yet provide no value or real use. After all, maybe someone else can use them. Maybe someone else is looking for that exact thing and will be so excited they found it for a steal. And, to be honest, it feels nice to open a closet and see our things, not just my things. He is, by far, my best motivation for creating extra space, and I am so grateful to know that my purging hours were not spent in vain.
I think this is how life works, too, don't you? We spend years acquiring things, and I'm not talking in the literal sense. Figuratively speaking, we pick up a lot throughout the years and we stuff our hearts full of all sorts of things. Some things are good, somethings are not so good. Maybe there are times when we are just acquiring good things: joy, love, blessings, prosperity, knowledge, experience, and all sorts of other healthy, sweet things. But then there are those seasons where we acquire things we don't really need: anger, bitterness, sorrow, frustration, disappointment, lies, and pride and we keep them around for some reason. We know we don't need them, we realize that they are not providing any benefit, yet we are reluctant to give them up. Because if I give up bitterness and anger, that means I have to forgive. If I give up pride, that means I have to be humbled. If I give up lies, that means I have to accept the truth. If I throw out disappointment, that means I have to find satisfaction. And if I toss sorrow, that means I must have joy. And when you look at it that way, it changes your perspective, huh? Because by giving up those things, it means you're making room for good things. And who would ever want to keep a room stocked full of things that are useless, that drag you down, that provide you no benefit and that only keep you in a negative state when you can have a room full of things that you love, that bring joy and satisfaction, that cause happiness and laughter, and that will be useful and beneficial your whole life?
And so I was glad to send those things away in boxes with Aaron, and I hope they go to a good homes where they'll be useful for someone else. As for me, I'm looking forward to filling those empty spaces with new things. Out with the old, in with the new, and I couldn't be more thankful for that.
#462 - When we do away with the things we don't need, He fills the space with goodness!
"Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." - Psalm 107:4-9
Tomorrow we are having a garage sale. By we, I mean that I sent a lot of my old things with Aaron and he's going to sell them. We both had a lot to contribute to the sale pile, but after a while of debating what to add and what to keep, I finally had to tell myself, "You haven't used it in at least a year, you know deep down you'll probably not use it ever again, and you forgot you had it anyway." The only problem I have with deciding what stays and goes is the whole maybe factor. Maybe, just maybe, one day down the road I'll need it. Maybe, just maybe, I will wish that I would have never sold it. But as Aaron and I are going to be merging our lives together 3 weeks from today, I realized that I have to make space. I have to make room for him, too. I've done a real good job of filling up my house with things that I don't need or use, and it's time to purge. Time to get rid of those things that are just taking up space yet provide no value or real use. After all, maybe someone else can use them. Maybe someone else is looking for that exact thing and will be so excited they found it for a steal. And, to be honest, it feels nice to open a closet and see our things, not just my things. He is, by far, my best motivation for creating extra space, and I am so grateful to know that my purging hours were not spent in vain.
I think this is how life works, too, don't you? We spend years acquiring things, and I'm not talking in the literal sense. Figuratively speaking, we pick up a lot throughout the years and we stuff our hearts full of all sorts of things. Some things are good, somethings are not so good. Maybe there are times when we are just acquiring good things: joy, love, blessings, prosperity, knowledge, experience, and all sorts of other healthy, sweet things. But then there are those seasons where we acquire things we don't really need: anger, bitterness, sorrow, frustration, disappointment, lies, and pride and we keep them around for some reason. We know we don't need them, we realize that they are not providing any benefit, yet we are reluctant to give them up. Because if I give up bitterness and anger, that means I have to forgive. If I give up pride, that means I have to be humbled. If I give up lies, that means I have to accept the truth. If I throw out disappointment, that means I have to find satisfaction. And if I toss sorrow, that means I must have joy. And when you look at it that way, it changes your perspective, huh? Because by giving up those things, it means you're making room for good things. And who would ever want to keep a room stocked full of things that are useless, that drag you down, that provide you no benefit and that only keep you in a negative state when you can have a room full of things that you love, that bring joy and satisfaction, that cause happiness and laughter, and that will be useful and beneficial your whole life?
And so I was glad to send those things away in boxes with Aaron, and I hope they go to a good homes where they'll be useful for someone else. As for me, I'm looking forward to filling those empty spaces with new things. Out with the old, in with the new, and I couldn't be more thankful for that.
#462 - When we do away with the things we don't need, He fills the space with goodness!
"Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." - Psalm 107:4-9