SEVEN - Possessions

So, I'm weeks behind.  I'm now in spending week, but it gives a little perspective.  Possessions week was a little enlightening.  I say that because it has continued and I haven't stopped cleaning stuff out, and it's been more and more and more enlightening.  The week of I cleaned out 7 items of clothing in each family member's closet and determined (because cleaning out is time consuming) to continue with other areas of the house as I had time.

Like I said, it hasn't stopped.  I donated 4 bags and 1 box of toys plus an elmo play table and a dollhouse this morning.  I also gave a ton away.  It took me two days just to do the kids' possessions.  It has gone on and on.  How did we accrue so much stuff?  Especially when I thought I already WAS cleaning out as necessary? 

Honestly, as freeing as this was it was also depressing.  I want to write that in reverse order too.  As depressing as it was, it was also freeing.  Let me just say that whether I was supposed to or not I began to get this mental image from SEVEN.  If where my treasure is, that's where my heart is, does that mean that for every possession I have it sort of sits between God and I?  Or builds a wall around my heart?  I'm just saying.  I have always felt like things are fairly harmless as long as my heart was right.  That I could still hear and follow God.  That I was able to obey because my heart was right. 

But, what if I can't obey God when I have too much stuff?  What if simply by accumulating it becomes harder and harder to hear God's voice?  This is Jen's message (technically Jesus').  That God is close to the poor, brokenhearted, meek...  And that the farther I am away from them the farther I am from God.  Well, that's how I've been interpreting it lately.

My Man read the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki when we were first married.  It coins a term called the 'rat race'.  Basically, many of us are defeating ourselves financially because we're just running in a circle accruing.  Buy a bigger house and then purchase all the things to fill it and pay for more expenses, utilities are higher, etc.  You get the picture.  Whether we meant to or not I think we still ran headlong into the rat race.  And it is a trap.  So many of us feel trapped and in some ways/cases rightly so.  We can't free up money OR time because we're to busy keeping up the rat race.

This is not over for me, not by a longshot.  I believe this has just begun.  But, I will say this.  I already feel freer.  I already feel like I've moved some of the stuff out from around my heart.  I told a friend this morning that I don't want my life to be about accruing wealth.  That I would have said that a year ago or 10 years ago.  But, my lifestyle said otherwise. 

Blah.  That just flew right out of my mouth.  I will close with what I journaled at the end of possessions week.

It's hard to put all this into words because I'm still in the middle of it.  I want to remember that a decision for restraint isn't just for restraints sake.  It's a decision for Jesus.  It's loosening bonds.  It will make me see clearly.  Or, more clearly.

I learned that I buy more than I think I do.  Somewhere along the way my habits changed.

I hope I continue to unpack this.  I don't want to turn away or twist this.