LETTING GO...

We are preparing for our Fall yard sale here at Malaga. It's a big job, for my friend Sara, who sorts, arranges, dispenses with and shows off, various items that are donated from someone's treasure house of memories. most of us have more "stuff" than we need, want,or will use, Why in the world do we hold on to the stuff we do????? I remember when my mother died, we knew she was a "saver" and always said it was because of having lived through the Great Depression all those many years ago. And save she did...string, empty jewelry size boxes, broken glasses and cups. Some of the items I remembered from my childhood when we used them on a regular basis and I realized that for Mom, memories were attached to each and every item. There is a parallel for us in the spiritual realm. We have "stuff" stored up in our subconscious mind, attached to some memory from the past. Some is good stuff...some is bad, some quite disastrous. Psychologists tell us that our perceptions of life are pretty well set by the age of four. Pre-school years for many of us, years we would have spent at home with mom. If that is true, and I have no reason to doubt it's truth, it makes clear to me that God's original plan for family is the best one around. In Jewish families of old, betrothed couples came together after they had spent a number of years preparing a home, the boy, physically building the home on a piece of his father's land, the girl, in her home making household items for use in the home he was building. When they were finally married, they were to spend the first year together in their new home, no work for him, no going to war, limited visiting with family, because they were to "bond" together before a baby came on the scene . Leave and cleave, the two become one, whatever terminology you want to use, but God knows how important family is.It's the central unit of society and the newly weds need time to get to really know each other and children need mom and dad's influence, love and security to properly develop emotionally as well as spiritually. This is where "stuff" comes in. Because we are part of a fallen human race, and by nature sinners, (unusual word for today isn't it) we frequently "perceive' wrong about what goes on around us. But the security and love of family usually allows us to sort out our feelings. But, not always, and sometimes those wrong perceptions lead us to wrong attitudes and conclusions about other people and next thing we know, we have a GRUDGE! Imagine that.! God's Word strongly teaches about forgiveness, because unforgiveness leads to bitterness and grudges, and those attitudes show up in how we think, talk, and act. Have you ever heard the saying, "he/she needs an attitude adjustment?" I'll bet you have! How many people do you know that fit that category...probably too many. Most of those attitudes can be traced back to those early years of bad perceptions, and accumulating stuff that we just don't want to let go of, even though we know they are "hanging us up" emotionally. Next time we'll talk more about letting go.