It's beginning. It has to happen in order to move on. This is the part I don't enjoy; tearing down and packing away all the things that I so carefully set in place three years ago.
Room by room.
Closet by closet.
Shelf by shelf.
It all gets put in a box.
But starting again in a new house has some advantages and packing boxes becomes a time to ponder what's going on in life.
- It's an opportunity to see how much stuff we never use, and therefore probably don't need.
- It's an opportunity to clean those corners and high places that typically are never touched.
- It's an opportunity to bless others with items I no longer use.
- It's an opportunity to recall memories from the past as I handle things like photos, books and gifts.
This is also a time of emptying myself. This "tearing down" is not pleasant work. There are many things in life I cannot control. Recently, I wrote in my journal...
"Lord, today I offer all that I have again to you with open hands. Where we live and where I work is open before you. I give you complete control. Take what I have and use it as you want...We hold tightly to you. Come to us with clarity and assurance. We need your presence..."
Starting a new day with this attitude is advantageous. Emptying myself becomes a time to ponder what's going on inside.
- It's an opportunity to get rid of negative attitudes.
- It's an opportunity to allow God to point out places I've not yet given over to him.
- It's an opportunity to look for blessings amidst all the negative.
- It's an opportunity to recall how faithful God has been in the past.
"Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord NEVER ends! His mercies NEVER cease! Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning." Lamentations 3:21-23
Thanks for sharing!
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