Discard Stuff; Gain Peace

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:19-21

For years I owned a yellow dress. I look ghastly in that color, but it had been a gift from a relative. I wore it only when I visited her, but when we moved to New York, the dress went too. When we moved to Colorado, I had gained too much weight for the dress, but it still made the journey. I thought I would lose the pounds before I next saw the relative. That didn’t happen, but the dress stayed in the closet, taking up space and adding stress each time I saw the yellow glow.

Then a friend mentioned her company was collecting professional clothing for young women who graduated from their professional-development program.

The following Saturday I lined up four boxes and inspected everything in my closet, including accessories. The items I wore often, I piled on my bed. The rest went into the boxes. In the first, I placed clothing I wasn’t ready to make a decision about. I put gently used business clothing into the second box and gave a victory yell when I added the yellow dress. The third box held casual outfits for The Salvation Army resale shop. Into the fourth box I tossed items to be thrown away, including a stained T-shirt.

As I placed my favorite items back in the closet, I decided to take another look at the clothes I hadn’t been sure I could part with. Nothing there had been worn during the previous six months. With no regrets, I tossed everything in that pile into the resale-shop box.

I felt such satisfaction from clearing the closet clutter, I analyzed the knickknacks near the TV. Did I really need eleven ceramic owls? All but one went into the giveaway box. Next I sorted my books and kept only my favorites. Several boxfuls of Christian classics went to my church library. More would be sold to my local used-book store. I still had enough books left to start a small-town library, but the stressful clutter was out of my home and mind. Not a bad project for a Saturday! —SANDRA

Lord, I’m still surrounded by possessions. Help me to keep eliminating the stuff in my life and in my heart. Letting go of clutter allows me more time to enjoy your creation and the loved ones around me. I love the space I’ve created in my home. Help me not to fill it again.

Many people cling to their possessions instead of sharing them because they are worried about the future. But is not such an attitude finally unbelief?

—RONALD J. SIDER, THEOLOGIAN AND CHRISTIAN ACTIVIST

From the book