I have been on a mission this summer--a mission to purge the junk from our house. We have a lot of junk. We've been caught up in the materialism mind-set, along with the fact that we are pack rats. That is a dangerous combination...we buy it and keep it along time...and that adds up to a lot of junk!
I joke that I am a recovering pack rat. A few years ago I decided that all of this stuff in our house was cluttering up the place, and was cluttering up our finances, so it was really unnecessary. I suggested to my husband that if we purged most of the stuff from our house, it would be much easier to clean and care for, freeing me up for more important and enjoyable activities with the family.
Last summer I met a family whose home was destroyed by flood. As I listened to them describe that experience, it dawned on me that they had to run for their lives with just the basics of life...their health, and a change of clothes, and a handful of their most prized possessions. They inspired me to start thinking about what was most important in my life. If my home was flooded, or if we died today, how big of a mess of junk would be left behind to clean up? Suddenly, all that stuff did not seem as important.
Shortly after, I met a couple who was taking a leap of faith and going out to the mission field. They were leaving behind their nice home, job, and social life, to work for the Lord in a much more desolate environment. They spoke of yard sales and getting rid of most of their possessions, only packing and hauling the very basics they would need to live. I was impressed!
I have been inspired to go through our entire house and purge every room and closet of all that unnecessary stuff. I am not quite ready to live in the mission field. Thankfully, I am not dealing with a flood or a natural disaster. I am able to clean out the clutter from my life, and free myself up to enjoy the more important things. I value time with my family, outings, activities, and birthday parties! I do not value cleaning house or complaining about the clutter and junk left out all the time. I have let go of my packrat tendnecies, and I am starting to focus on what REALLY matters to me. I am much happier for it!
Then, in perfect timing, I started listening to a CD of Dave Ramsey talking about how to dump debt. He says "Sell so much stuff the kids think they're next. Name the dog 'Ebay'!" I was inspired to hold a big yard sale by the end of this summer, after purging our entire house of junk. As my husband and I cleared and purged, we would quote Dave Ramsey to each other, and laugh. It worked! We emptied a drive-way full of stuff out of our house, and sold it in a big yard sale last weekend. Towards the end of the day, we were practically giving the junk away. At the very end, we loaded up the rest and donated it to a thrift store.
Nothing came back into the house!
I joke that I am a recovering pack rat. A few years ago I decided that all of this stuff in our house was cluttering up the place, and was cluttering up our finances, so it was really unnecessary. I suggested to my husband that if we purged most of the stuff from our house, it would be much easier to clean and care for, freeing me up for more important and enjoyable activities with the family.
Last summer I met a family whose home was destroyed by flood. As I listened to them describe that experience, it dawned on me that they had to run for their lives with just the basics of life...their health, and a change of clothes, and a handful of their most prized possessions. They inspired me to start thinking about what was most important in my life. If my home was flooded, or if we died today, how big of a mess of junk would be left behind to clean up? Suddenly, all that stuff did not seem as important.
Shortly after, I met a couple who was taking a leap of faith and going out to the mission field. They were leaving behind their nice home, job, and social life, to work for the Lord in a much more desolate environment. They spoke of yard sales and getting rid of most of their possessions, only packing and hauling the very basics they would need to live. I was impressed!
I have been inspired to go through our entire house and purge every room and closet of all that unnecessary stuff. I am not quite ready to live in the mission field. Thankfully, I am not dealing with a flood or a natural disaster. I am able to clean out the clutter from my life, and free myself up to enjoy the more important things. I value time with my family, outings, activities, and birthday parties! I do not value cleaning house or complaining about the clutter and junk left out all the time. I have let go of my packrat tendnecies, and I am starting to focus on what REALLY matters to me. I am much happier for it!
Then, in perfect timing, I started listening to a CD of Dave Ramsey talking about how to dump debt. He says "Sell so much stuff the kids think they're next. Name the dog 'Ebay'!" I was inspired to hold a big yard sale by the end of this summer, after purging our entire house of junk. As my husband and I cleared and purged, we would quote Dave Ramsey to each other, and laugh. It worked! We emptied a drive-way full of stuff out of our house, and sold it in a big yard sale last weekend. Towards the end of the day, we were practically giving the junk away. At the very end, we loaded up the rest and donated it to a thrift store.
Nothing came back into the house!
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