I am at my moms to help her with a garage sale. My dad passed away in December, and they had a small condo in Florida. The condo has sold and she has moved back to her house in Wisconsin with about half of the stuff from the condo. The garage is now full. The store room was already full. The house is full. We have to get rid of some stuff.
It is a big process for my mom to let go of things. What matters? What to keep? What to give away? What to sell? So many things are beautiful. So many things have memories attached to them. It’s hard to watch my mom have to make all these decisions.
As I am helping with this process I realize it’s a question of value. I think thats a question for everything in my life. What has value?
I love my garden. And the new armchair that I saved for six months to buy. And the new-to-us house we moved into last fall. If I forget my iPhone somewhere, I can’t stop worrying about it, so I guess that matters, too.
More than anything, I love my kids and my husband, my mom and my brother. And my friends, a lot.
As I’ve been pondering the garage sale and how I value things, I think I’ve settled on a good test for me. Do I have something, or does it have me?
So, now I am trying to focus on what really matters. The new armchair? Nice, but not crucial. My neighbor knowing Jesus through me? Crucial. The afghan my mom made me when I was a teenager? I love it, but does it matter? Probably not. The Swedish crystal I have acquired over the years from trips to see my family there? Beautiful, but not priceless. The time I spend with the moms of small children in our church, hopefully helping them be better moms? Now, thats priceless. What people think about me? Oh, Lord, help that not to matter as much as it does!
(In case you’re wondering, I’m not ready to talk to you about my iPhone yet.) When it comes right down to it, I remember something my spiritual mom said, “The only things you can take to heaven- your intimacy with Jesus and people.”
So what really matters in our lives? How can we re-organize our time and thought life around those things?
For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are. Luke 12:15 (LB)
Wishing you true richness!
~Christina
~Powerful Women of God~ 