I’ve been going through our school supplies. We have a tiny wicker bookshelf that has to hold the entire year’s school books. It is a hard thing to know what books have to go.
…Especially when the book that should be cut from the bookshelf has a tag on it that says $8.97…
…And it’s brand spanking new…
…And it says “grade 4” on the cover, and we have three children who will eventually be that age…
But there is just no way we are ever going to use it. I mean, there is always the chance that “maybe we’ll need it someday,” but I’ve learned that “someday” doesn’t often happen when I’m wondering if I should keep or let go of things (…Except tools. It’s not that we need 12 manual Phillips screwdrivers, it’s just that we seem to need them scattered across the house so that they are always handy – and always lost. I’m a work in progress, so for now let me keep my tools!)
So, except for tools, I’ve learned that I may as well let something go rather than hang onto it on the off-chance that I might use it one day.
A friend of mine once kept two garbage bags of boy’s clothes in case she would one day have a baby boy. Over 9 years, God gave her four little girls. When she was finally blessed with a boy, she went to the attic and dug out the 2 bags of baby boy clothes. A rat had been living in them at some point over the years. The rat was now gone, but its nest – and the horrible smell – remained. All of the clothes had to be tossed out.
We were discussing how we’d learned to bless others with our stuff. My friend said, “Nobody was able to use those clothes since I held onto them. I wish I had given them to someone who needed them.” She had learned a lesson that I have also had to learn the hard way.
How many times have you kept something, but later it shattered because it was crowded among the chaos in the garage, or broke when the kids decided to use it for their mock fights? Have you ever kept your children’s clothes until they were musty? Or books until they were so old that nobody wanted them? We once kept a huge carpet remnant until it became moldy and musty. We kept it because “maybe we’ll get a stain or a rip and need it one day.” Not a chance! When our carpet became stained and ripped, we bought new carpet.
I used to hang onto everything until our 1200 square foot house with no attic, no basement, no shed, and no garage became filled to overflowing. I was about to go crazy in that house with five of us (at the time) and all the stuff we had accumulated in a decade of marriage. At the peak of my frustration, I asked God for some help, and He provided it through the writings and words of several authors and speakers. One of the things I learned was to bless others with my stuff.
God will bless you back when you give.
A couple of years after I had given away all of my maternity clothes and baby girl clothes, I became pregnant with our fourth child, a girl. It is easy for me to doubt. I have to admit that I panicked just a bit. I reminded God that He promises to take care of us. He asks us to bless the poor. He says to take care of the needy. He says He will clothe us. Reminding God made me feel better, so off I went to choir practice.
“Could you use some maternity clothes?” the girl next to me asked while we were singing that evening. She was the epitome of the Hip Mom, with her leopard-print tops and velvet sweaters. I was floored at God’s provision. He not only provided, but He provided with brand new clothes that were way cooler than mine!
Over and over I have experienced God’s provision after I let go of something. It is as if I am making room for His blessing when I make room in my clutter.
I have 2 theories:
1. If you are wondering whether or not you should buy something, don’t buy it.
2 . If you are wondering whether or not you should keep something, don’t keep it.
If you’re just beginning, my theories will be too scary for you. I understand; I still struggle with this (remember, I can’t let go of tools!). Try this: box up some extra items from around the house. Label the box “To Give” and set it aside for a week. If you haven’t needed or missed the items, take the box (without opening it!) to someone who might be able to use it.
Bless others, and God will surely bless you back. I’ve seen it happen in my life so many times that I’m telling you it is absolutely true.
by Lori Seaborg
words I need to take to heart, very much so. I am slowly changing my ways but it is hard and your words are a timely reminder to me. Thank you for allowing God to use you and your words to again pierce my heart and mind.
Off to do some more purging.
I have been doing very well in recent years – at getting rid of things. I started when God told me to cull my books the first time, and the second culling was much easier. A lot of curriculum went in both of those cullings, and the liberty I felt at getting rid of things I really didnt need led me to get rid of more, even a piece of antique furniture Id been hanging onto for way too long.
Still, though, just the other day, when I was pulling a few, last bits and pieces to bless a homeschool mom with, I caught myself hanging onto a particular video curriculum. This Id gotten for myself, rather than the boys, and I thought that just maybe Id want to pull it out and watch it again. It was a week later before I admitted I was still showing too many signs of the hoarder and pulled it out to pass along to her as well.
Old habits are really hard to kill. Dont worry about your tools; just be proud of yourself over the other things.
Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C
Lori – can you post this again next week – when Ive got time to be challenged by it! LOL!!
There are major hotspots in my house and excessive school stuff is one of them. I really do need to go through my shelves and cupboards. I tell myself if I am serious about giving my children real learning experiences then I dont need these particular books and workbooks for that one day that I am sure will never come. By the way, that one day hasnt come to our family in 7 years!
This hits me where it hurts. Im a certifiable pack rat (though the temporary nature of stuff has been heavy on my heart lately). I needed this today. By the way, I kept all of my first dds clothes in the event I had a second dd which I did four years later. When I went to retrieve two large containers of them I discovered they had mildewed. What a stench! Trust me, mildew is a smell that doesnt wash out no matter how many times you try. I love your perspective: hoarding might be depriving someone else of a blessing. Thanks!
Give and it will come back to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over!
I have learned this principle over and over and over. With nine children, so close together, I do typically hang on to clothes from season to season because they are just moving right into the next size. However, each year, I purge and try to keep only enough clothes that will fit into one cardboard file box. Each year, we have TONS of clothes given to us. God is so gracious!
Cynthia
Funny you should post this. Every August our church sponsors a huge shopping spree for the seminary we are closely associated with. They take donations from our church members and then set it all up in our gym and let the seminary students and their families come in and shop with special money we give them. They pick out whatever they want or need.
I have struggled with releasing some of my stuff, but I realized these students come here without a lot of things, and of course they cant afford to buy all they need. Ive heard their testimonies of how God supplied just what they needed through these yearly shopping sprees. They look forward to it, and I have begun to look for things that I no longer use or need to bring them a blessing.