Earlier this week I read a wonderful blog post from Keeper Of The Home titled The Great Debate: Is it Wrong for Christians to Be Wealthy?
I must admit, at first, I was not going to read it because I don't think of us as wealthy. We don't go on vacations, we don't have expensive cars, we have a small house, we don't shop at expensive stores, the list (and excuses) goes on and on. Boy, was I wrong. We are wealthy. We are wealthy with stuff!
One of the reasons I used to justify that I felt we weren't wealthy was because we live paycheck to paycheck. It is our own fault, we have a lot of debt. My husband and I were not raised to save, nor were we raised to not use credit in order to get things. We have since learned that our debts weigh heavily on us and it is something we want to pay off as soon as we can.
Because we live paycheck to paycheck, I always thought there was nothing we could give. I was wrong. We have clothes hanging in our closets that we haven't worn in years. The kids have clothes they have outgrown. I thought I was being a better steward and more responsible by selling them in order to buy clothing they will fit in now.
But then I read Keeper of The Home's blog post and my heart was changed. She inspired me to think about all the things we already have, that we don't need. Of all the verses she listed, this one spoke to me the most.
"So the people asked him, saying, 'What shall we do then?' He answered and said to them 'He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none: and he who has food, let him do likewise.'" Luke 3:10-11
My closet is full of professional clothing that I used to wear when I worked. It is just sitting there, literally gathering dust. I don't have any reason to keep the clothing, other than my selfishness of wanting to be able to fit into them again someday. But when that day comes, why would I need to fit into them again. I no longer work outside the home and I have no plans on returning to work.
After reading Keeper of the Home's post, I contacted our local women's shelter and asked them if they could use the clothing. I immediately got a response of YES! The woman thanked me for thinking of them. Her response broke my heart. They have needs for items and those items have just been hanging in my closet for years.
So, over the next couple weeks, I will be cleaning out all the closets in our house. I am taking my clothing to the local women's shelter. I am going to take my husband's to a local men's shelter. For my children's clothing, some of them are going to a few children at our church. For the rest, I am going to find local foster care houses and see if they are in need of clothing. I know of a couple that are within an hour of where we live.
There is a book called 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess that is on my wishlist. From the reviews I have read, the book challenges you to get rid of your stuff that you don't need. I hope to get in the next few months. I am hoping that book will challenging me even more to get rid of our excess stuff.
I encourage you to look around your house and pray about what you can give to those who have none.
I must admit, at first, I was not going to read it because I don't think of us as wealthy. We don't go on vacations, we don't have expensive cars, we have a small house, we don't shop at expensive stores, the list (and excuses) goes on and on. Boy, was I wrong. We are wealthy. We are wealthy with stuff!
One of the reasons I used to justify that I felt we weren't wealthy was because we live paycheck to paycheck. It is our own fault, we have a lot of debt. My husband and I were not raised to save, nor were we raised to not use credit in order to get things. We have since learned that our debts weigh heavily on us and it is something we want to pay off as soon as we can.
Because we live paycheck to paycheck, I always thought there was nothing we could give. I was wrong. We have clothes hanging in our closets that we haven't worn in years. The kids have clothes they have outgrown. I thought I was being a better steward and more responsible by selling them in order to buy clothing they will fit in now.
But then I read Keeper of The Home's blog post and my heart was changed. She inspired me to think about all the things we already have, that we don't need. Of all the verses she listed, this one spoke to me the most.
"So the people asked him, saying, 'What shall we do then?' He answered and said to them 'He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none: and he who has food, let him do likewise.'" Luke 3:10-11
My closet is full of professional clothing that I used to wear when I worked. It is just sitting there, literally gathering dust. I don't have any reason to keep the clothing, other than my selfishness of wanting to be able to fit into them again someday. But when that day comes, why would I need to fit into them again. I no longer work outside the home and I have no plans on returning to work.
After reading Keeper of the Home's post, I contacted our local women's shelter and asked them if they could use the clothing. I immediately got a response of YES! The woman thanked me for thinking of them. Her response broke my heart. They have needs for items and those items have just been hanging in my closet for years.
So, over the next couple weeks, I will be cleaning out all the closets in our house. I am taking my clothing to the local women's shelter. I am going to take my husband's to a local men's shelter. For my children's clothing, some of them are going to a few children at our church. For the rest, I am going to find local foster care houses and see if they are in need of clothing. I know of a couple that are within an hour of where we live.
There is a book called 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess that is on my wishlist. From the reviews I have read, the book challenges you to get rid of your stuff that you don't need. I hope to get in the next few months. I am hoping that book will challenging me even more to get rid of our excess stuff.
I encourage you to look around your house and pray about what you can give to those who have none.
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