Mom: Aka Manager of Stuff

Packing is well under way at the Prairie Parsonage these days.  Everything we own is carefully being bubble wrapped, boxed, taped up and labled for a 600 plus mile journey to our new home.  Ok, in reality, most things are just getting thrown into a box, but I would like to think I am more organized than that.

In the midst of sorting through our things, my first thought is "Why in the world do we need all of this STUFF!"  It is merely stuff.  Thousands of dollars, spent on stuff.  Money that could be saved, money that could be used to help others.  Seeing everything you own out of cupboards, drawers and closets, makes a person realize how much she really has and how little she really needs.  It is very convicting.

Why do we have so much?  For a long time now, I have felt like I wake up each morning to start sifting through our stuff.  It annoyed me, it frustrated me and I am so very thankful for a move that will help us get rid of the clutter in our lives.  As Miss MT once said, "Nothing good comes from clutter."  Amen to that!

So, why am I ranting on this topic?  First, this is good therapy for me to vent!  (ok, just kidding on that).  It is more of a conviction.  Stuff is obviously filling some voids in the Prairie Parsonage, voids that are meant to be filled by God and God alone. 

Recently, I came across a box of stuff from my school years.  Notes (you know- those things that we used to pass in class before texting came along), pictures of prom and danceteam, my graduation cap, a map of the route we took on our honeymoon.  Bascially, a box of stuff that I am holding onto in order to preserve memories.  It's not a bad thing, but it made me realize that all of the time and effort I put into everything growing up was for one focus.  So that I could get a good paying job, make a lot of money and then I could buy stuff.

Stuff from the good old days!

But, much like the stuff of my growing up years, the stuff we buy now doesn't really mean much in the long run.  I am going to go out on a limb here, but I think that in South Central ND, we have a huge problem with stuff.  A friend who recently moved to the area said that once the snow is gone, the toys come out.  He is right.  4-wheelers, boats, campers, motorcycles, you name it, you see it.  I am not saying that these things are bad- they are good.  But, when used for the wrong reasons such as filling voids of relationships in our lives or worse, filling voids that only God can fill, they are toxic. 

Please don't think that I am judging.  Instead, I am looking at the giant log in my own eye.  But it does make me wonder.  If you and I maybe bought a little less stuff, focused a little more on our relationship with Christ and spent less time and money on our toys, what kind of impact would that have on our community?

My guess is that we would become just a little closer to our friends and neighbors, a little more like Christ and a little slower to anger (which us stubborn Germans and non Germans could definitely benefit from).  Just a few thoughts today from the Manager of Stuff.