Throw It Away!

July 24, 2019·Elizabeth Ewens

I’m in the process of cleaning out my house, in preparation of hopefully movingto a smaller place by the end of the year. I’ve been in this house for 21 years. To say I’ve accumulated a few things is an understatement. So, when I read Ecclesiastes 3:6, as part of our Pause devotional reading, I felt a burden lift from my shoulders.

“… a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away …”

Throw it away? Really? OK, I now have God’s permission to throw stuff away. What a relief.

So many items have a memory or a sentimental attachment, it makes it hard to get rid of it. Anyone else like me? I realize that over the years, I’ve had seasons of cleaning out, even those gifts that I never used, but the sweet giver means something to me. Those little trinkets I have gathered through the years from my travels and souvenirs from friends and family. Clothes I don’t wear anymore. Items left over from a previous interest. You all know what I mean. Most of us have these items.

Here’s what I’m learning in my season of throwing away:

I can let go of the “stuff,” but I don’t let go of the memory and blessing of having received it.
I can share the love by donating useful items to agencies that will bless others.
If I want to have room in my life to receive new blessings, I have to create space by getting rid of the old.
I don’t need much of the stuff I have; it’s not a necessary item.

And, one of the most important things I have come to realize is that stuff can become a burden. I’m experiencing freedom, as I have less and less stuff to care for. It’s freeing!

I’m chuckling about what I’ve written. I have sisters who like to collect certain things. I can imagine my brothers-in-law printing out this email and holding it up to my sisters’ faces. Sorry, sisters! (But really, throw it away!)

Living with less. Living light. Getting ready for new!

Pastor Elizabeth Ewens