Separating from our "stuff"

Today I was made aware again of something very important about our "stuff". It isn't "ours", none of it. Everything we own belongs to God, everything. He gave us our talents to earn money and build our beautiful homes, He gave us our bodies, our breath, and everything we touch. Everything we have belongs to God and when we remember that, how much easier is it to let go. If God wants us to have something, it will remain with us (or find it's way back), but sometimes He has other plans for our "possessions".

Sometimes we struggle to let go because of what we paid for something. Yesterday while on the phone with my mother she asked if I wanted a sofa table that was in my childhood home, normally I would jump and say yes, but I don't have the room in my 100 item list, so I said no. She told me that she will never get what she paid for it and it was a good table, so she can't sell it, but she doesn't want it. Sadly she will probably live with it until the day she dies and allow it to rob her of what should be important because of money. I was there at one point, she raised me and I shared many of her views, but surrendering to God's plan has been more freeing than anything else I ever could have done. Is it easy all the time......no.....but God gives me what I need exactly when I need it never before, so when it is hard to follow His plan for me, He will give me strength and guidance to continue.

Today I'm cleaning out the school room. I have home educated my girls for 8 years now, this was the first year that my older daughter has been to school since she was 6. I created the school room earlier this year after realizing the room would never be a nursery (another one of God's plans). The walls were painting using "oops" paints that I got for $5 a gallon in green, the trim is yellow also an "oops" paint that I got for $1 when we first purchased our home. One wall is painted with chalkboard paint creating a wonderful place to teach. The room also holds the computers, the filing cabinet, a bookcase, and my daughter's Barbies. There is my computer (which lately hasn't been working) and my daughters' computer. Both are old and given to us when the owners upgraded to a newer computer, one has to go! My plan is to go through the 5 file boxes and put everything that is "keep" into the filing cabinet, clean all the books out and give away the bookcase, move one computer desk to my older daughter's room for school work, and move my younger daughter's bed into the room. To know we can fit into a 600 square foot cabin, we are going to one day have everything we own fit into the living room, kitchen, and two bedrooms. This is the start to moving both my girls from their up stairs bedrooms down to the one bedroom on the main floor. We live in a cape cod style house, the upstairs bedrooms were created from the attic, so the ceilings are sloped and it is hard to cool and heat the rooms, having both daughter's downstairs will help with electricity costs, which will be nice. There are two bedrooms on the main floor, both are small, but what our cabin's rooms will probably be sized. I'm not expecting a miracle and to have the room done in one day, but that would be nice. There is also a closet in there that I have filled with all kinds of wonderful crafting supplies, that will need to be emptied, that will be hard! God will help me. I will set up a chair in the room and invite God to sit with me while I work.

Have a beautiful weekend everyone! Enjoy the weather, the day, the hours God gives us!