For the past month, it's been my goal to go through all my belongings and get rid of things I no longer need and can live without. Going to the mission field, it's just not possible to take everything, especially things that don't seem to serve any purpose any more....if they really held any high purpose to begin with.
Again, as this week began, that was my goal. It didn't happen Monday or Tuesday. My motivation came Tuesday night, as I talked with my friend, Laura. She called to talk to me about something church related then told me if I wanted to put anything in her yard sale this weekend, I could. I was highly motivated.
After running some errands on Wednesday morning, I dug in. Full steam ahead. In fact, I was so motivated I was able to get through things in just a matter of 3 1/2 hours. I could hardly believe the amount of "stuff" I accumulated over the years. And might I add, "stuff" I haven't used in years. I figured if I lived without it that long, I most likely will never use it. I'm a sentimental person, so I tried to make sure that no memories were associated with these items. Thankfully, there really wasn't and that made it easier to get rid of it all. In the yard sale pile it went.
All afternoon, as I was going through these things, I kept giving myself talks, "Sheri, you really need to have a more simple lifestyle. Be more practical in purchasing items." That's the goal now - to be more practical and to "think simple".
I took my unwanted stuff to my Laura's house and her daughter (Megan) was in the garage with us, as I was pulling my things out of boxes. Megan wanted to see what "treasures" she could make her own. Also in the yard sale were a lot of Megan's old toys. She told her mom that there were things that she didn't want to get rid of. Her mom told her, "You don't play with that anymore." Megan tried to do some convincing, but her mom wouldn't cave. I said to her, "You know, Meg, you can't take any this stuff to heaven with you." And I thought, what a good reminder for myself.
I can't take any of my stuff to heaven with me. I really don't NEED a lot of things....just the basics. Of course, there are things that are nice to have - my laptop, my iPod touch, my camera, my books (not many went in the yard sale), my pretty shoes, several pairs of sneakers, my pretty dresses and a closet & dresser full of clothes. Could I live without these things? I'd believe I could. I think it's important that I believe that, because I can't keep it forever anyways....even those things that I am sentimental about.
So, does that mean I will stop buying "stuff"? Probably not. But I will strive to really think about the purpose behind everything and aim not to be too impulsive with "meaningless" things.
Be practical. Think Simple. You can't take stuff to heaven.
