Giving
We've been busy in the last few weeks. We've secured an apartment in Raleigh so we have a home waiting for us in January! I am super excited about where we'll be, but we need to do a little preparation. Basically, our apartment will be 1000sqft. For the 5 of us. Honestly, that doesn't phase me. The only thing I really miss from our house was the space to have a school room. I miss having a room devoted to our books so I don't have to 1. Put all of our books and papers away to eat at the table or 2. Everybody sits on the floor in the living room for lunch (okay, and dinner sometimes) because we don't want to put everything away. Number 2 happens more than 1.
I think the culture we live in will necessitate a constant battle between myself and stuff. There's always more stuff coming through the door. I buy some of it. Mr. Inc buys more of it. ;) The kids get more stuff without getting rid of old stuff. I hate stuff. Truly.
After the moving debacle of September involving a slam packed moving truck AND a return trip because the truck couldn't contain all of our things, Mr. Inc has a more realistic understanding of the "Stuff Problem." He's decided we'll get the same size truck that we used to move in September, but there will be no second trip. If it doesn't fit, it doesn't move. I've been given permission to purge on an entirely new level. *Happy heart dance!**
It doesn't help that I just reread Jen Hatmaker's book, 7, that pounds home the idea of sacrifice and generally becoming less so that God becomes more in our lives. I've already given away quite a bit, and the thought occurred to me today that not one donation has affected my life in the least. I got rid of my extras, but I still haven't entered into a place of sacrifice. Which brings me to my next thought. My family does not make a lot of money. We've lived on one income for 11 years. We don't feel like we miss out on much due to finances even though we don't buy very much. The only shopping I do is in the grocery store 99% of the time. We don't buy things for the kids very often. Birthdays and Christmas are about it for toys. Yet I still have 4 bins of clothes to give away so that I can refill those bins with toys and other items that take up space. I have extra furniture. FURNITURE. The kids have so many toys and books that we don't have space for them all. The material wealth that I have is incomprehensible to most of the world.
With this in mind, I'm trying to find a way to guide the kids into their own understanding. Yes, I can force them to scale back on their toys (and I WILL. Don't get me wrong!). But what I really want is for them to see and feel this for themselves.
Another facet of this subject is the possibility of selling all of my extra things. I've got to be honest. I'd much rather give something away to someone that really needs it than sell it to a stranger. I've sold a few things, toys, homeschool books, and such, and in the end, I'm much more comfortable giving it away. I have been given so many things when we couldn't afford them. I'm just thrilled the have the opportunity to give to someone else in need. And isn't that the point of all this wealth we have? Not to be forced to redistribute, but to joyfully give to those in need? That's the general idea I've gotten from the Bible so I'm going with that.
I think the culture we live in will necessitate a constant battle between myself and stuff. There's always more stuff coming through the door. I buy some of it. Mr. Inc buys more of it. ;) The kids get more stuff without getting rid of old stuff. I hate stuff. Truly.
After the moving debacle of September involving a slam packed moving truck AND a return trip because the truck couldn't contain all of our things, Mr. Inc has a more realistic understanding of the "Stuff Problem." He's decided we'll get the same size truck that we used to move in September, but there will be no second trip. If it doesn't fit, it doesn't move. I've been given permission to purge on an entirely new level. *Happy heart dance!**
It doesn't help that I just reread Jen Hatmaker's book, 7, that pounds home the idea of sacrifice and generally becoming less so that God becomes more in our lives. I've already given away quite a bit, and the thought occurred to me today that not one donation has affected my life in the least. I got rid of my extras, but I still haven't entered into a place of sacrifice. Which brings me to my next thought. My family does not make a lot of money. We've lived on one income for 11 years. We don't feel like we miss out on much due to finances even though we don't buy very much. The only shopping I do is in the grocery store 99% of the time. We don't buy things for the kids very often. Birthdays and Christmas are about it for toys. Yet I still have 4 bins of clothes to give away so that I can refill those bins with toys and other items that take up space. I have extra furniture. FURNITURE. The kids have so many toys and books that we don't have space for them all. The material wealth that I have is incomprehensible to most of the world.
With this in mind, I'm trying to find a way to guide the kids into their own understanding. Yes, I can force them to scale back on their toys (and I WILL. Don't get me wrong!). But what I really want is for them to see and feel this for themselves.
Another facet of this subject is the possibility of selling all of my extra things. I've got to be honest. I'd much rather give something away to someone that really needs it than sell it to a stranger. I've sold a few things, toys, homeschool books, and such, and in the end, I'm much more comfortable giving it away. I have been given so many things when we couldn't afford them. I'm just thrilled the have the opportunity to give to someone else in need. And isn't that the point of all this wealth we have? Not to be forced to redistribute, but to joyfully give to those in need? That's the general idea I've gotten from the Bible so I'm going with that.
Comments
Post a Comment