Stuff

Stuff....just uttering the word makes me want to crawl into the fetal position. We have a lot of stuff. Anyone who has ever had the misfortune of seeing the inside of our garage, or who has been a guest in our home and hoped to hang their clothes in the closet, can attest to the fact that the Roberts have some stuff! And to make matters worse, organization is not my strong point. In fact, Richy and I recently took the Myers Briggs test in our Sunday School class, and yada-yada-yada - we're not attention to details people. I'm sure that I was suppose to get something deeper from the results of my test, but mostly I just thought....no wonder our garage looks like it does - it's our nature! As a couple, we have a lot of fine qualities - just none that are visible in our garage or closets :)

Last month as we were preparing to decorate our house with Christmas stuff, I had a stuff meltdown. I became overwhelmed by the stuff - the Christmas decorations stuff, the everyday stuff, the autumn stuff, the toys stuff, thoughts of the new toys stuff that would soon be coming our way, my work stuff. I began to vent to my unsuspecting husband that the stuff was making me crazy. Much like this post, I am sure that I used the word "stuff" approximately 167 times as I ranted and raved on and on until my husband began boxing up the stuff and taking it away. To this day, I'm not sure what or how much stuff was carted away during my meltdown.....but it wasn't enough!! Though I give my husband much credit, he knew just what to do in that moment....and it made me feel better. Seeing him carry out garbage bags of stuff....I'm not sure I've ever loved him more!

So I started thinking....in this new year, what if I made a deliberate effort to only purchase and bring into my home the stuff that we need - not the stuff that we want. Not necessarily to save money (though that will be a nice side effect), but to save my sanity. Someone may want to warn Target and TJ Maxx, so they can be accountable to Wall Street for their declining numbers! I mean seriously, how often do I go to Target and peruse the aisles just to find a deal....on anything....because it's a deal....and I'm sure I will need it for something....one of these days....in the next few years.....before I die. This is a problem. How does it come to this? (I am sure there are spiritual implications here, but we can't go there today.)

Also, I think it will be a great exercise in determining what it is that we really do need. We need toilet paper and milk, but do I really need another pair of black shoes? Not so much....I think the 10 I already own should cover it! Odds are, I will find that we have everything we need.....and then some. By posting this, I suppose I'll have some accountability to the 4 people that still read my blog! I'll try to post some updates and let you know how my "stuff-less" adventure is going.


Lord, I pray that You will be the "stuff" in my life. You, alone, are sufficient.