September- tackling the excess

September seems to be the month of promising things. Recently, I read 2 amazing books: Living Well, Spending Less by Ruth Soukup and Seven by Jen Hatmaker. Both of these tremendous reads have taken me on a journey that I know I have been waiting to take. Basically, they have made me realize how much I focus on material and useless things. So...I started the month out right. And I picked one of the greatest sources of stress in our household to tackle first. The toys/play area.

 I enlisted the help of our 4 year old son. He joined me as we went through everything and put in a basket the things we wanted to "give to someone else to play with." Now, I won't lie and say that I didn't go back during nap time and weed some more things out. Overall, I was so impressed with our little guy. We even talked about how we don't need multiples of one item i.e. 5 bags or 15 bears (pretty sure our stuffed animal count set a world record). He was able to look and choose which one he liked best. He is getting so big! (That is a post for another time...). So when we were all said and done, 9 trash bags were shoved into my car to be taken to a local homeless shelter and 4 more were set aside and listed for sale on our local Buy/Sell/Trade site (in 2 days I have made about $150!). 

All the remaining toys were things that my children love to play with. Other items, they hadn't played with because I hadn't kept them up with batteries or kept the pieces together. Everything has a place and is in great condition. When we were done, we were able to downsize some of the oversized furniture we had to accommodate everything with other pieces we already owned. The end result is nothing short of amazing! And it is SO much easier for the boys to help put away their toys at the end of the night. I feel like the boys have been happier playing because they have less to chose from, can find what they are looking for easily, and are not mindlessly dumping things everywhere. It is a huge win for all of us. And, this is just the beginning (I feel like I should insert evil laugh here). 

Overcoming a Life of Consumption

More. We NEED more. We WANT more. We YEARN for more. More. More. More.

We live in a culture that is never satisfied. We achieve something and then immediately move on to the next thing or on to improving upon what already exists. The new iPhone came out and within 6 months the next newest version will be out. How are we ever to feel contentment with the constantly changing tides of our society?  With the expectation that the more we have the more worth we have, will we ever feel true joy, happiness, or satisfaction? 

I am so guilty of this discontentment. I am a combination of control, neat, approval-seeking freak. I also have the patience of a 2 year-old. This is not a good character combination folks. It puts me right smack-dab in the middle of the discontentment train on pretty much a regular basis. I like to have things organized. I like to have things clean. I like things to look nice and stylish. (You would think having 3 and 4 year old boys would have smacked this right out of me- but to my unfortunate dismay, it hasn't). And when these things are out of whack, so am I. I get stressed out! You would think that someone who has helped with Code Blues and traumas would not be put out by something that seems so trivial. Negative ghost rider. I am. 

So Genius, what are you going to do about it? Right now, I am praying and seeking God in all this. He has placed those without, those with little, and those with too much on my heart. It really is true, that we always seem to want what we don't have. Well, I know that contentment is possible. And I know that choosing to live a life honoring to God with our lifestyle, our finances, and our daily activities is possible. Matthew 6:25-34: 

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.



God has got this. But I need to clear out the clutter (literally and figuratively) and get focused on the things that really matter. All these other things...are just taking away from what really matters- God, family, friends, and living a life worthy of the One that sacrificed so much to give it to me. 

A Beginning

be-gin-ning

noun

1. the point in time or space at which something starts

2. new or inexperienced

Today feels like a new beginning to me. Over the last few weeks, I have felt a movement in my spirit. And I finally needed to let it all out somehow. My words are just a reflection of a calling or rather a physical need to express myself. Despite my inexperience, I pray that God uses my writing to reach one person. If I can minister to one person or even just grow closer to Christ, then this is a success. 

God calls us to live life abundantly. However, an abundant life is not driving the newest car, having the biggest house, or having the most expensive stuff. (And trust me, I struggle with wanting some of  these things). It is about finding our worth in Christ. Living the Christian lifestyle may not appeal to most people. Yes, self-control and a view unlike the "cultural norms" of our society seem to make it an unpopular choice. However, living a lifetime that pleases God can be unlike any human experience. Jesus was sent to earth to show his people how to live life abundantly- how to experience fulfilled, bountiful lives. In John 10:10 it reads, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." Although we as Christians will experience trialing times, we will also reap a life so full of love and joy that nothing else can compare. The things of this world will always fall short of providing us true fulfillment. Our spirit will always long for its Creator. Until we start living a life that honors Christ, we will never fill that void that always seems to stay empty. He is "the way the truth and the life" (John 14:6). He is everything.

Let me be absolutely clear about a couple things...I am not perfect. I do not have all this stuff together. But I am just trying to go where I am led. And I am trying to follow through on my convictions. This is just the beginning of a new journey. I hope you join me on it.