If God asked you to lighten your load – i.e. get rid of 700 pounds of stuff from your place of dwelling - could you do it? And let’s say, you can’t chose furniture (or any living thing J ) to make up that quota.
What could you live without?
Clothes?
Books?
Music or Movies?
Kitchen gadgets?
A room full of hobbies?
I asked myself this question as I helped my Alaskan-bound friends condense their household into a tiny trailer of cherished essentials. Although that in itself was a challenge, the real test occurred after the trailer was loaded… and 700 pounds too heavy. From the boxes already deemed “can’t-live-without,” they had to shed more.
You might roll your eyes and scoff, “You can take it all. I’d have no problem unloading.”
Or, you might gasp and cry, “No way! That’s too much!”
But when you really go through the process in your mind, it is interesting to see what heavy items you get hung up on. You think twice, bargain, trade out, chose between, evaluate…
Of course, I’m not saying that it’s bad to have things. When you’ve got room and no one’s asking, there’s no reason to give them up.
But what if God did ask you to? How attached are you to your things?
How about if God asked you to unload your spiritual burdens? Sin, guilt, fear, misplaced security and trust… could you do that? How attached to our crutches are we? Have we lived in fear so long we actually fear we’d not be able to live without it? If you were suddenly guilt-free, do you wonder if you could function?
God does not ask us to give up things to be annoying or cruel. He is good, therefore His request stems from good reasoning and promises good reward as well. He’s waiting to fill the space with Himself and all of His benefits, to make life better for us not worse, to teach us and reveal to us His amazing character.
But first, we have to surrender… whatever He’s asking us to hand over to Him… we must do that first.
Take a moment today to sort through it. Hold loosely to stuff. Store treasures in Heaven. Let God fill you up with His eternal rewards.
Happy unloading! And Happy Monday! Thanks for visiting Dry Ground. Be blessed!
2 comments:
Wow, this was a convicting post. Much needed.
I've come to love the pleasures in life such as books, clothes, and, well, THINGS in general.
I guess as along as I had Charlie, a Bible, a pair of running shoes, my Nook and Computer I'd be able to survive most any place.
If I could fit my road bike in there, too, that'd be great, but I could do with running shoes if not.
Thanks for this.
"How about if God asked you to unload your spiritual burdens? Sin, guilt, fear, misplaced security and trust"
Nice, Lori! Can't wait to read Eli! :)
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