Chasing After the Wind

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2:10, 11 NIV)

Richard and I live in a relatively small house.  It was hard when the boys were growing up here, but the cost of raising two boys, some difficult times of unemployment and other significant financial woes made just keeping this house difficult enough, so we were not sucked into the "McMansion" era of "bigger is better" thinking.  If we had had the money, I'm sure we would have at least have gotten something bigger.  But now I'm happy we stayed here.

One thing about living in a small home is that it makes you think about what is important enough to keep.  There isn't a lot of storage space!  Quite frequently I have to go through stuff and give it away or toss it or sell it.  We were not able to keep baby stuff for future generations.  We were not able to keep clothes long enough for them to either come back into style or wear to "retro" parties.  We've had to pick the things that mean the most to us.  This is a hard job for Richard who has inherited a tendency to "packrat" from his mother.  But he has gotten a lot better... except for his military stuff.... Argggghhhhh!

Yesterday I took a walk down my road and came across a house I forgot was there.  It is about half the size of my own home.  I had to wonder about their storage problems.  They would have to be even more selective about what they keep!  And then I thought about the stuff we have tucked into our closets and drawers and chests.  So much of it hasn't even been touched in many, many years... so why do we keep it?  Why do we human beings have this inner need to amass and store and keep even though we have virtually no use for it?  Why is it so hard to get rid of?  Do two people really need 10 blankets?  Do we really need tons of photos of zoo animals with nobody we know in the picture?  Do we really need that 1990 set of encyclopedia when you can find much more up to date info on line?

Seeing that tiny little house yesterday has inspired me to let go of some more "stuff."  It feels liberating.  Most THINGS in our lives are nothing more than "vanities."  It is the people and relationships in our lives that are really important.

God of Life,
Help us to let go of the inanimate things in our lives that we have been led to believe are so important.  If we don't use it to bring joy or help to others, than what good is it?  Help us to pour our hoarding energy into hoarding relationships!  Amen.