Ever notice how much stuff we have in our homes? When I look around my house, I see a gadget for everything and enough dishes to feed a few families. My closet is overflowing with dresses and sweaters. My kids have a playroom full of dolls, trains and books. At what point do we say enough?
I’m extra aware of how much I have because lately I have been reading about minimalism. It’s a way of keeping things very simple. In this respect: living with less stuff. The idea is to keep what you need and not be bogged down by feeling obligated to keep things. With that in mind, I decided a good step is to donate one thing or more every day for the next year. I’m not starting this as a New Year’s Resolution but as a change in focus. Then I read this:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
Getting rid of stuff is good, but there are things I should actually be adding.
This really convicted me. I want to be the best cook to my family, so I get everything I need to have my kitchen stocked to the brim to make them good meals. Do I have that same intensity when filling my spiritual life? What if I followed these words in the Bible and took inventory of my heart? Am I patient with the people in my life and filling myself up with God’s word and prayer? Am I faithfully telling others about Jesus whenever I have the chance?
I’m so excited that it’s fall and group Bible study begins again. The accountability that each woman in the group brings helps me want to fill up on spiritual truths-- truths that have been so valuable during particularly difficult situations I faced over the past few years.
Will you join me? Let’s give away some stuff and join a women’s group so we can grow to treasure things of heaven instead of all this stuff on earth.