Move On

As I mentioned in my previous post, this move we are undertaking is unique for us. Since we aren't moving a great distance, not quite three miles, we are taking it slow and not moving everything all at once.

You see, the past two years we have lived with my in-laws. (That could be a whole set of postings!) As a result, we have articles and items stored and stuffed in multiple locations: a brother-in-law's basement, an overstuffed garage, the storage shed that isn't on the way to anywhere . . .

Before leaving our modest house in Lexington, KY, I held a yard sale and gave away those items that I just knew we could live without (including an old sofa my husband still mourns over - it was older than me!). Then I packed up everything else for what I thought would be couple of months at the max.

Well, a couple of months slowly turned into six and then twelve, now twenty-four. There are many things in those boxes I've learned aren't essential. I can live just fine, even happily, without them.

So now, as I unpack these boxes I am again sorting our possessions one more time and preparing for an even bigger yard sale. I mean if I haven't needed it or missed it for two years, why should I hang on to it?

God has taught me many many things over the last two years. A great deal of it has been about contentment. Spiritually, I know that there are some "little" sins and "indulgences" I grant myself that I know I can be happy and better off without. Maybe it is a television show, wanting to receive a bit of gossip or listening way much to a radio station that doesn't honor God. If you are like me, you have a dozen excuses for hanging onto these things: "It's no big deal." "I am spiritually mature enough to handle this." "It isn't effecting anyone but me."

But IF we go without these things - pack them away for a little while - I am confident that God will show us that we really don't need them. They don't add any value to our lives or our walks with Him. They are just baggage that we keep around hogging up the space in our lives. It is time we confess these little things for the sins that they are and move on.

Anyone have any similar experiences? What are some of the things that God has taught you through moving?