On more than one occasion I went into the barn and cried over my stuff. How dare stuff I had worked so hard for be in a dusty, damp barn? This was MY stuff. My stuff deserved better treatment than that! Never mind the fact that I had a warm bed to sleep in, food to eat, and a roof over my head. Then one day a question popped into my head. Are you materialistic or thankful?
Sadly, my answer was materialistic. Stuff had become my god. Buying stuff brought me momentary satisfaction. I could look at my stuff with a sense of satisfaction that I was able to acquire it all. I didn't want stuff because someone else had it. I could care less about what someone else has. I wanted stuff because of the sense of accomplishment I got from acquiring it all. I wanted stuff because I wanted to be surrounded by pretty things. Temporary joy. Thats all I got from my stuff. Temporary joy.
God's plan for me does not include being materialistic. I have been fighting Him tooth and nail over the past several months about my stuff but the fight is over. No longer will my stuff be a god in my life. Once I accepted God's plan for me, I began to pray about having the strength to let go of so much stuff. A materialistic cleansing of sorts. Each time I give something useless away the stronger it makes me. I am not saying that I won't have some nice things but no where near the overabundance of things that I have. The less stuff that I have the more thankful that I am. My focus has shifted from acquiring stuff to becoming more aware of my true blessings. True blessings do not come in the form of stuff. True blessings come when you are thankful for what you have. If I am not thankful for my blessings then why would God continue to bless me?
P.S I have been doing some purging of my stuff and in doing so I have been able to bless others. The money that I earn is donated to my favorite charity organizations. Being less materialistic is part of God's plan for me and so is giving back to others. Its a win/win situation!
