So at first glance, possessions week was a complete and total failure. The challenge was pretty simple actually. Give away 7 items a day for 7 days for a total of 49 items for the week. I could not even come up with 49 items. I thought this week would be easy. There were so many things I wanted to "get rid of" Well here it is the end of the week, and I came up short of my goal. Seven items short of my goal to be exact, but who's counting?! So technically, I failed when it comes to completing the task. This week was a huge success, though, in teaching me just how materialistic I am!!!
I used to think that materialism wasn't really a thing I struggled with. I don't really care much for the lastest and greatest when it comes to technology. My phone is a 3 year old flip phone. I can basically call people, text, and take really awesome pictures on it. That's about it. My TV is the one I bought about 5 years ago. I walked into Best Buy and literally bought the cheapest one they were selling. Hi-def, flat screen, plasma.....blah, blah, blah.... I have no clue about all those things and honestly could care less. Law and Order SVU looks the same to me no matter what kind of TV I'm watching. I don't really want to "feel like I'm there" anyway, especially not while watching that show. I have a DVD player that was given to me, and I still have my trusty VCR. No Blu-ray for me. I haven't really bought into the whole mac thing either. My last camera purchase was about 10 years ago. Let's just be glad I'm not still using the disposable kind people.
And then there's fashion. I'm not really into name brands or labels. Once upon a time I would fight my mom and think she was the worst mom ever if she bought me anything from Walmart or Kmart and told me I had to wear it. I coveted things that had that big blue tag in the inside collar with the letters G-A-P. Let's be honest, the quality wasn't really that much better and sometimes the stuff wasn't even that cute. Actually it was pretty basic and bland, BUT it had the label. That was the important thing. Those kind of things don't really mean much to me anymore. If it's cute, and I like it... I buy it.
All of the above reasons led me to believe that I wasn't really that materialistic. And then last week happened. Out of my whole entire house I could not even come up with 49 items to give away?!?! There were some items that I just couldn't part with. The process of searching through the rooms in my house and the closets was the most revealing. It was a metaphor for going through the rooms and closets of my heart. God was opening up the dark closets of my heart and showing me just what is in there. There is a lot of greed and selfishness and materialism lurking around in there. I have all of the collected items piled up in my spare bedroom and organized by category while I research and figure out who their new owners will be. The little collection of 42 items sitting there in the corner looks pretty pathetic. That tiny amount is all I could come up with to give away to those who need it more than me? I've also realized that it's really easy to give up things that you don't really want anymore. Things you've outgrown. Things you haven't worn in a year or two. Things that aren't "in style" anymore. Things you consider junk and just want to get rid of. But, is that really giving? It's a much different story to give away things that are useful to you still. Things you paid a lot for. Things that are dear to you and that you like a whole lot. That involves sacrifice. Giving is not sacrificial when it doesn't cost us anything.
I thought I had a pretty good handle on this area. Man was I wrong!! I have a long way to go on this journey.
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| 7:
an experimental mutiny against excess "Jesus, may there be less of me and my junk and more of You and Your Kingdom" ~Jen Hatmaker |
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