It’s quite alarming how much devastation the winds of the recent Oklahoma tornados can muster and how broken it has left many people. And then on this lovely, warm June day, I’ve been complimenting the wind all morning long. The wind is something that determines the direction of anything it catches. That is unless you are a sailor.
I’m not a sailor, but my uncle Gary has a sailboat. He made it himself because he is an inspired artist like his father and grandmother before him. The only time I have ever sailed in my life was with my uncle Gary on his beautiful boat. It’s been some time, and I don’t remember how the sail, mast, jib, boom, spinnaker, haul and so on and so forth all work to keep you going where you intend to go. But I guess the point is that regardless of the way the wind blows, you have the power to determine where you go by setting the sails.
And that is what I’m trying to do with my life, set my sails in a direction where God is leading me regardless of my circumstances or just where I ‘feel’ like going. I’m noticing that my family is helping me along the way to keep me going in the right direction.
Like I’ve said before, I’m learning to leave all and follow Him. I also wanted to put that into practice with my earthly treasures. So last January I was so inspired to start collecting my worldly goods to sell. I had discovered that I was an average American hoarder. Read it here: An Average American Hoarder. I had made plans to have a garage sale in August when I knew my circumstances would make it easy to manage a sale and I felt like I would have the time to enjoy it more.
(confession, there's no feeling quite like when someone comments at the garage sale of a 34 year old lady that they didn't know it was an estate sale.)
My mother and I had a disagreement over when this would take place. She had different plans that I didn’t much care for. We had argued over the matter for a few weeks and I didn’t understand why we needed to have 2 garage sales, one for my mom in June and one for me in August. Regardless, I would be helping out for both. At least that is what I thought was happening.
I decided to trust that my mom was right on this one. I reluctantly consented.
The night before the garage sale in June, my mom finally told me how all the money we raised would go to the support of the trip. I was under the impression that this was her sale with some of my stuff in it. Mistake number one.
My Aunt Diane, Uncle Paul and cousin Krista with her baby Jacob all came to help for the sale. I thought they were coming to help my mom since she’s been working so hard with my dad. They came to help me raise support and pray that God would provide. Mistake number two.
I thought I would do just fine on my own managing the sale by advertising somehow for it in August. But I didn’t need to advertise for this sale. The subdivision did that for me since apparently it was a sub-wide garage sale that weekend. Mistake number three.
I thought I wouldn’t have the time to be able to pull off a sale in June when I would be working much of the time. Truth is I didn’t really have the time. But that’s where my family stepped in for me. I thought I needed to do it by myself. That was mistake number four.
I thought since we just threw this whole thing together, it would just be a mess, unorganized and it wouldn’t be very successful. Yes, it was a mess and unorganized.
But this is mistake number five.
I never really expected much out of a garage sale. I thought it would be a simple way to get rid of junk and make a bit of money in the process without bothering too many people. It was something I could do by myself.
The winds don’t determine your direction necessarily. You can just by setting your sails in the direction you choose.
Because my family’s hearts have their sails set on the hope of what God will do in June, God made His plan a success and He not only met my big dream goal I set for the garage sale, He blew that goal out of the water.
And now I’m so happy to be wrong. I was trying hard to go in one direction, but my family was steering me in a better one.
And in the end here’s where I ended.
I have been holding on to all of the teacher’s materials from my 3 years of teaching for the past ten years. It covered half my parent’s lawn. I always thought, well what if I need them back some day? I sold none of them until a friend who is a new teacher came to take them away at the end of our sale. It didn’t hurt at all to see them go like I thought it would. I was blessed to give them to her.
I had confessed earlier that I have an unhealthy relationship with shoes. I even rescued my Sambas from the sale only to regret it now. A man came and purchased all of my shoes. My mom asked him what he plans to do with so many women’s shoes. He is sending all of my shoes to his family who needs them in Africa. I was blessed to know my shoes would be in Africa.
Because I helped clean out my parent's basement, I found a gift my grandmother gave me when I was a child. It was a framed piece of origami art made out of money. She told me that some day when I needed it, to take it apart. There would have been no other occasion that would have felt as appropriate as this one. How blessed I am to be supported by my grandma who has been gone for over 5 years.
We made $1,675 at a stinkin’ garage sale. My family discussed how we didn’t understand how this was possible because I make no lie when I say that we sold nothing good! This wouldn’t have happened without my family pushing me to do this in June. I’m blessed to know how I need their wisdom in my life, especially when I’m going in the wrong direction!
Single-handed sailing is the type of sailing I think I’m going to try to stay away from. That kind of sailing is for those constantly trying to ‘prove themselves’ and are accustomed to living a solitary life. I’m glad I’m not the only one setting my sails. My family is right there with me guiding me and offering humble correction to this proud lady.
I’m glad to be wrong and to have been blessed by the hope of June.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1916
But to every mind there openeth,
A way, and way, and away,
A high soul climbs the highway,
And the low soul gropes the low,
And in between on the misty flats,
The rest drift to and fro.
But to every man there openeth,
A high way and a low,
And every mind decideth,
The way his soul shall go.
One ship sails East,
And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow,
‘Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That tells the way we go.
Like the winds of the sea
Are the waves of time,
As we journey along through life,
‘Tis the set of the soul,
That determines the goal,
And not the calm or the strife.
Don’t let your circumstances or the way you feel determine where you land. You get to choose what you think is the best course. But heed the prompting of those who have your best interest in mind, and always set your sails on Heaven’s shore.
Proverbs 19:20
“Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come.”
Future of Forestry – Set Your Sails – How lovely that this song is the one I was looking to post on this blog and I found a family that made a video in Ludington, Michigan where my family spent over 16 summers together in the warmth of July.
