PURGE!
Last year, I announced to my father-in-law that I would not be having a yard sale this year. He smiled and chuckled and I knew he did not believe me. So at Christmas time, we donated lots of used toys. When folks had yard sales for charity, we donated even more! I gathered books and teaching materials and sold them at a homeschooler sale. I was SURE we would not have enough to have a yard sale. While preparing for the homeschool sale, the children gathered things out of their rooms and decided.....they wanted to have a yard sale. So guess what Pops, you were right!
There is something about purging that makes me feel better! Perhaps it is an illness but we have so many blessings and I spend way too much time maintaining or fussing about them. Let's be honest, most of them no one even likes or cares about. Our 4 year old, Miss B., is more than willing to get rid of something if she does not have to pick it up off of her floor. I am convicted of being a poor steward of my time, our home, and the fact that someone could really be using it (like this book I have been looking for, for school-I KNOW someone has it collecting dust in their home!)
This summer, I purged some classrooms at church. I freely got rid of most of the stuff and took the old Sunday School materials to the reuse store at the recycling center. They were gone within the month when I made a return visit. Garbage at one location-turned ministry in another location!
I found a set of ooolllddd junior song books (yep, they were old!) I asked permission to take those to the reuse center and it was approved. I drove them around in my van for a week due to a busy schedule. When I finally made it, I carried one in and talked with the lady. She quickly said, "HOLD ON!" and went to find another lady to see if she could use them in her jail ministry. BUT she could not use any hardback books at the jail. WELL, could you use these folders with lyrics typed out in them? About 30 of them? "YES!!!!!!" she said and my church will use those song books. She was delighted and thanked me several times. I was thrilled someone could use them!
I guess I share this all to say, purge and reuse instead of throwing it away. Try to find someone who can use it. It is a double dose of blessing! Oh, and if you have the Encyclopedia of Ancient History at your house with dust on it, let me take that off your hands!
There is something about purging that makes me feel better! Perhaps it is an illness but we have so many blessings and I spend way too much time maintaining or fussing about them. Let's be honest, most of them no one even likes or cares about. Our 4 year old, Miss B., is more than willing to get rid of something if she does not have to pick it up off of her floor. I am convicted of being a poor steward of my time, our home, and the fact that someone could really be using it (like this book I have been looking for, for school-I KNOW someone has it collecting dust in their home!)
This summer, I purged some classrooms at church. I freely got rid of most of the stuff and took the old Sunday School materials to the reuse store at the recycling center. They were gone within the month when I made a return visit. Garbage at one location-turned ministry in another location!
I found a set of ooolllddd junior song books (yep, they were old!) I asked permission to take those to the reuse center and it was approved. I drove them around in my van for a week due to a busy schedule. When I finally made it, I carried one in and talked with the lady. She quickly said, "HOLD ON!" and went to find another lady to see if she could use them in her jail ministry. BUT she could not use any hardback books at the jail. WELL, could you use these folders with lyrics typed out in them? About 30 of them? "YES!!!!!!" she said and my church will use those song books. She was delighted and thanked me several times. I was thrilled someone could use them!
I guess I share this all to say, purge and reuse instead of throwing it away. Try to find someone who can use it. It is a double dose of blessing! Oh, and if you have the Encyclopedia of Ancient History at your house with dust on it, let me take that off your hands!
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