The reality of this race hit me about a week ago. I was sitting at my dining room table, eating lunch, looking around at a half packed up condo full of all the stuff I owned in the world. It was a wreck, clothing strewn everywhere, papers I had neglected to file, table linens, furniture, mementos, books, dirty dishes, etc. My mood was already bleak, I had tried an all natural supposedly non-drowsy herbal sleeping aid the night before and it made me feel like I had been hit by a truck. It was a struggle just to keep my eyes open.
So I sat, completely immobilized by all the work that had to be done, while hanging out with Joy my roommate (we don’t live together anymore, but in my heart she is still my roommate) and Jess a great friend of ours. As we talked it all got to me, the fact that I had to be out of my condo in less then a week, I had no idea where I was going, and no idea what to do about my possessions. I started to cry, not just a little sniffling, but large embarrassing tears. In retrospect I blame the sleeping pills, moodiness is not listed in the side effects but it was definitely the pills fault, not mine.
Immediately Joy and Jess were there, comforting me despite my temporary (sleeping pill induced) insanity, praying for me when I was weak and coming up with a plan. The girls helped in both word and action! Joy came up with a workable option, drag everything I own out into the living room and make three piles, keep, ditch and sell.
It was beautiful; I was way too weak and emotionally attached to my stuff to do it by my self, but the
girls helped. I would start to sort through things and turn into the queen of futzing. I think that’s a Yiddish word which means messing with a possession that should take about 1 second of your time for 10 minutes.
Eventually, after a lot of work, things started to shape up. Joy and Jess helped me take load after load of give away stuff down to “Carro” my car, which was completely stuffed with give aways. The pile of things to sell wasn’t as daunting as I had anticipated. After we managed to squeeze my car doors shut I realized how incredibly grateful I am for my community of friends. I am surrounded by amazing supportive people, two of whom were willing to spend a Saturday afternoon having a futzing intervention for me.
The next night my group of friends celebrated one last time in the condo. When Joy and I moved in together we both had a vision of having a place where people would feel comfortable stopping by when ever they wanted. We hoped to have friends over often and prayed that our home would be a place where others would be able to rest. God has answered that prayer in ways beyond what we could have imagined.
On Sunday we ordered pizza, watched a movie and set up my new tent in the middle of the living room. It was fun to christen my new bedroom with friends. I had a professor in college who always said that there are only two things in this world that are eternal, people and God’s word. Throughout this process of getting rid of everything I’ve been reminded that those two things need to be my priority, not my stuff.
I do have some wonderful news about my stuff! As many of you know I’ve had a desire to sell most of what I own for ministry money this coming year. Ministry money is for things like buying a woman from Mexico groceries to feed her family, or a pastor from Uganda a bicycle so he can get around, or taking orphans we are working with in India out to dinner. Now my team will have some financial resources to do those types of things. Through sales of my furniture and other possessions I’ve raised $1,700 to put in that fund!!! I’m so excited to see what God has planned for that money.
I called my parents on Thursday, the day Joy and I moved out of the condo, and told them that I was officially homeless, but couldn’t be happier about it! One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned through this very tough last week, filled with so much letting go, is that I’ve got what’s most valuable in life. I am surrounded by an amazing community of people, and that’s what is truly important!
