Sometimes, when I am looking forward to something in the future, I tend to measure time in "small victories".
This morning, I woke up at 6:30, even though I didn't have to get up for work, and I didn't have to get up to get ready for church until 8:30. It was one of those times when the second you open your eyes, your brain flips on. Here was my progression of thought:
Thanksgiving is this week! …………….
November is almost over………………………….
December is almost here…..
December goes really fast because of parties and Christmas stuff……….
Then it's January………………..
Which means the next month is February……………….
Our lease is up at the end of February……………….we have to get rid of our stuff!
And I was Excited.
Many people have asked me what we are going to do with our stuff. My response has usually been, "Probably sell most of it, keep a few sentimentals, and give away what we can't sell."
When we had our garage sale a few months ago, there was a lady that came by with her husband (or boyfriend?) and bought a bunch of stuff. She bought some of my clothes and purses, and some of them I had owned for several years. As she was walking away, I had a second where I was internally thinking, "Wait! That's my stuff." Not that it felt like she was stealing it, but it just hit me that I had placed a smidgeon of my identity in the green bag that I had since high school, that I would carry my laptop in. Not that that bag was particularly meaningful to me, just that it was my laptop bag, and I had never seen anyone else with one like it. Then I thought about how silly it is, that I had placed even the tiniest bit of identity in a thing.
I didn't even realize that I did that. I would have been the first to tell you that I don't really care about my things. It was a revelation about myself that caught me by surprise. About the same instant I realized this, and realized how silly it is, I came to the conclusion that I was happy to see my stuff go. It really is freeing, to get rid of things. I never realized how much they weigh you down until I starting thinking about getting rid of all of those things in preparation for the Race.
And you know what? Every item that goes is one less thing to think about putting time and energy into upkeep of it. The more things we have, the more time and effort is invested in them. I can breathe a little deeper every time for the weight slowly being lifted off of me.
I have also been asked, "What are you going to do when you get back if you sell all of your stuff?" The same thing we did when Josh and I first got married. Make it work. We got by on one pot, no microwave, and a few plates and bowls for a while until we could afford to buy more kitchen stuff. We slept on a twin size bed the first two weeks of marriage until we were given a full size bed. We watched the same 3 DVDs over and over because we didn't have satellite or even a converter box.
Life is not about the material comforts that we have around us. It is definitely not bad to have those things, but when life becomes a constant rotation of aquiring things, cleaning/maintaining those things, aquiring things, cleaning/maintaining those things, and on and on, it only becomes a burden that hinders you from not only doing the things that you were meant to do, but experiencing the joy from life that is apart from those things.
This is one of the things that drew us to the World Race: Living Simply. We understand that God has called us to live a life of service, and along with that comes sacrifice and humility.
This morning, at church, we were discussing Proverbs 3:5-6. As we were reading it, my eyes were drawn a little bit down the page to 3:9-10. I had underlined it. "Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine." In the margin, I had written, "Give to God, and He will give back more that we can imagine!"
I totally believe that if we honor God by giving up things that are important to us, He will bless us in ways that we cannot even imagine. Not that we should view God with a "slot machine" mentality (if I put this in as a sacrifice, I will get this in return), but I think that He honors our sacrifice, and will reward us for it. And I'm not talking about material rewards.
Because we will not be burdened by our stuff here, we will be able to pour into the lives of people who otherwise would have no hope, orphans who only desire to know if they are loved, and to experience with them the joy that they have when they discover that there is a God who is the ultimate Healer, Provider, and loving Father. And what better blessing than to be the vessel that brings them that joy?
So, probably after Christmas, I will be posting pictures in an album on Facebook that are things we are selling. Furniture, decorations, kitchen items, etc. I would rather do it that way than putting them on Craigslist, a) not crazy about people I don't know coming to pick stuff up from my apartment if I'm home by myself, and b) I want to be able to bless people I know with things that they need. When Josh and I were first starting out, we were given many of our things, and it was SUCH a blessing to not have to purchase them. Obviously, the money we make from selling our stuff is going straight to our support account, so if you help us take our stuff off of our hands, you will also be helping fund our trip! If there is anything of ours that you know of that you would like, let me know, and I will hold them for you. Our Christmas tree and one of our chairs are both already claimed. 🙂
As always, there are other areas where we need help as well. Like I said, our lease is up at the end of February, and we will need somewhere to live for a few months, where we hopefully will not have to pay rent, so we can pay for our last minute needs like vaccinations, paying off our credit card, emergency money for while we are overseas, etc. We have a possibility of somewhere to stay, but we are not sure if it will work out or not. Ideally, we would like for our 3 cats to be able to stay with us those last few months, but that may not be possible.
Also on that note, we are still looking for someone to take care of them while we are gone. It doesn't have to be all three, either. We can split them up to 1 and 2. If you know ANYONE that likes cats and doesn't already have too many, and would like to bless a couple of missionaries beyond measure, please let us know. Giving them away is not an option. They are part of the family. If I could take them along, I would. 🙂
We also need financial support! We have to raise $31,000 for our expenses on the field, including travel, housing, and food. If you would like to give, you can click the link on the left side of the page that says, "Support Us", or you can send a check to:
Adventures in Missions
P.O. Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
Thank you so much for your support. We have already been so blessed and humbled by the love and support we have received. I know that God is blessing us, even already, in the sacrifices we are making. Especially in trusting Him that He will provide for ALL of our needs, even if that need is for a laptop bag. 🙂
