Our plan when we move is to take all of our things with us in and on top of our Honda CRV. The other night we pulled out our tubs to see how many we could fit in the car, and we were trying to figure out the best way to pack. Sitting in our car looking at the small amount of space I have to carry our possessions to Missouri, I was a pretty overwhelmed. I felt like I had already gotten rid of so much between the 2 garage sales plus multiple runs to Goodwill.
Then later that night as I was laying in bed thinking about it, I realized what a first world problem this was. Fretting over if I can carry all of my precious junk with me. Having so much stuff, shows that we’ve always had enough money to buy the things we need and even things we want. It’s so easy to forget that for many people in the world, they don’t have enough to fill a car up, if they tried. Yet here I am lamenting over the fact that I have too much stuff.
I want to make an effort to be thankful for all the things I own and for the circumstances that are forcing me to take a closer look at what things I actually use and what I don’t. Maybe some of the things I get rid of can better be used by someone else.
Gracia & me in Mexico (2011)
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for this post! The Lord has been putting this message in front of me on a daily basis lately. It has been a burden on my heart for a long time to minimize our “stuff” and concentrate more on people and ministry. I needed to be reminded of this yet again today as I go through all our school supplies and reorganize for another school year! I am thankful for what I have, but it is just “stuff” that is not eternal!
You’re right, it’s not eternal. When my life is over, I’m sure I won’t care about any of my things at all.
Computers, printer, camera, photo albums, a few toys and your precious family…everything else is replaceable. Give away all of your food except for what you will eat on the trip. Make a trip to Goodwill and Target when you arrive at your new apartment. With the extra room in your car, I would bring special wedding gifts, art, bedding and kitchen plates/pots/silverware that you need to set up as soon as you arrive. Good luck.
Thanks for the advice! As well as Goodwill there’s a place there for missionaries to get free used items that I’m sure we’ll be checking out!
It’s amazing how much you have that you don’t need. We moved across town into a much smaller 2 bedroom “micro house” as we called it from a big 2 story 5 bedroom house (that we own). we left a lot of stuff there. I don’t miss it. When we moved a few months ago from the little house into a bigger apartment we have empty rooms and rooms that are sparely furnished. I still have unpacked boxes of things I obviously don’t need. I do plan to do my best to keep those rooms empty and not have a lot of stuff.
I know what you mean. We’ve gotten rid of a lot, and yesterday my hubby asked if I’ve missed any of it yet, and I haven’t!