Are You Weighed Down by Your Stuff?

I recently downsized, and in the process of packing and moving, God taught me some important lessons:

• “Follow me” sometimes costs a great deal in our lives … perhaps even leaving our comfortable lifestyle or living arrangement.
• My possessions truly bound me. I was very saddened at the thought of leaving some of them behind, and in particular, my home.
• Traveling heavy, burdened with your stuff, makes being a disciple that much harder because every time God calls you, you must move it all with you.
• God was coaxing me to let go and simplify, but I kept holding on to things I thought I needed or might need in the future.
• A message of poverty in spirit arose. “Live beneath your means,” He whispered. I’ll admit that it was a bit frightening.
• It led to greater compassion for those living in modest to below modest means, and the circumstances that led them there.

Like most people, I've accumulated a lot over the years whether through gifts or my own purchases. While packing, it occurred to me how much stuff I really had and how burdened I felt by the weight of it all. I questioned whether I really needed all this. It was more to clean, take care of, and pack … and did it really matter? Was any of it really contributing to my joy or the mission God was sending me on to accomplish? Could it be weighing me down on the journey and making the path more difficult?

Needless to say, the process of moving was eye opening. It was one of those calls that was difficult to accept, and it drew out attachments that I didn’t realize I had. Maybe that was the point of it. Sometimes we don’t know our weaknesses until the hand is forced.

What are you holding onto in your life that God wants you to let go of? How is God calling you to downsize or move in your life? Are you burdened with the weight of your stuff, and how might you lighten that load?