2014-0109 - stuff1 - admit the problem

Yesterday, I shared that I wanted to get healthy and lose weight.  My motivation is that I am sick and tired of being sick and tired; it is too hard to stay motivated and productive when I am in chronic pain.  Those are strong motivators to change my eating habits, to get a little more exercise, and to keep busy at productive endeavors.  I want to live a healthier, happier, less painful life.  I want to serve God and others with my whole mind, body, and soul.

Today I will share something that only a few close friends know.  I am a stuffer, (NO, I did NOT say hoarder – I am not ready for that kind of painful admission yet).  I said stuffer, and just for today, I am sticking to it.  I have stuff stuffed everywhere; there is stuff on shelves, in boxes, on tabletops and underneath them, in chests and dressers.

I have stuff piled on beds, and couches, and chairs, oh my!  There's stuff shoved under beds, and couches, and chairs, oh my!  In other words, I have stuff stuffed high and low.  The stuff is in boxes, and bags, and crates; it’s piled in the storage area, the great room, the bedrooms, and the bathroom.  I need several days’ notice before having guests so I can clear a place for them to sit or to sleep.

I have lots of really really great stuff.  I haven’t seen some of it in years; but I still have it!  It's all mine!  My clothes closet is full to overflowing (yes literally) and yet I find myself browsing yard sales and thrift stores for something different to wear.

I have a lot of stuff that I don’t use anymore, partly because I can’t find it when I want to use it.  I also have a lot of stuff that I spent thousands of dollars to drag halfway across a continent but I never even opened the boxes to find out what was in them, or if we needed the stuff anymore.  It was just easier to go out and buy more stuff than to sort through the emotional baggage that accompanies trying to sort through all that stuff.

I have always been resistant to getting rid of my stuff.  I could always find an excuse to keep stuff, or to buy more stuff, or to rescues someone else’s stuff.  I might need that stuff “someday,” or maybe someone else might need the stuff; perhaps someday I’ll find just the right people, for the just the right stuff, and it will be like a match made in heaven.  They will be blissfully be united with my used stuff, their union will breathe new life into my old stuff, and someone will finally see the full potential of my stuff.  Of course, there is one problem; I guess that it would be their stuff, right? hahaha!

One of the contributing factors in having so much stuff is that I can’t find the stuff I want, when I want it, so I go out and buy more stuff.  So, many of my “stuffs” are actually in duplicate, triplicate, or more excessive multiples.  All said and done, it’s still my stuff and I love it; but not as much as I used to...

My blog’s about done for today; I hope you will come back tomorrow and find out what I’ve concluded about all this stuff.

Luke 12:15 - And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

My prayer for today…  Dear Lord, Thank you for giving me the courage to admit that I have a problem with “stuff.”  Help me Lord to correct my thinking, to eliminate the stuff I don’t need or use, and to change my habits, so I can please You.