Free from Baggage
October 2012
1 Cor 7:29-32a
What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. I would like you to be free from concern....
i like this. and it makes sense in an underlying way, dovetailing with what i've been reading about minimalism while dejunking and packing to move. it's not about throwing all your stuff in the dumpster - it's about being as free as possible to serve God and others. i'm loving the chance to re-evaluate my life and priorities along with choosing a new house. i like change in general, and really like moving, and then the (semi)forced thinking is a favourite as well. this house is big enough for me to keep *everything* i buy or find downstairs - furniture, clothes, plants, dishes.... our new house probably won't be. in fact, the favourite house so far is literally half the size of this one! so there's been a lot of sorting, packing, and putting things in a give-away pile. i've been reading in 1 corinthians lately, and it's been really good for this time.
"For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?(M) And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" - 1 Cor. 4:7
exactly. i have no *right* to a nice house, in a safe neighborhood, with plenty to eat and to wear. i have no *right* to a great family, a delightful husband, and a life here in the Netherlands. not to mention so many more things. they're all gifts. and since they were all free (like half the things in our house) what right do i have to cling to them, while demanding even more? good reminder, God, good reminder :) makes it easier to reduce, say, the 18 plants i have scattered around our house, among other things, and to be open and ready for whatever comes instead of tied down by what i own.
another, interesting note - i've had less nightmares about hurried packing since i've been making our house travel friendly. some people dream about running or falling - i dream that i have to be on an airplane or escaping from the house in a hurry, and i'm not packed. talk about recurring nightmares that are uncomfortably related to your life.... but those have been less, lately. and at the moment, i do have a getaway bag with water, snack bars, and matches. and i know where my passport is. sounds a little paranoid, but when you spend most of your life 'overseas', it helps to be prepared for sudden events - political, work related, or family.
the free from 'baggage' life, in process....
1 Cor 7:29-32a
What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. I would like you to be free from concern....
i like this. and it makes sense in an underlying way, dovetailing with what i've been reading about minimalism while dejunking and packing to move. it's not about throwing all your stuff in the dumpster - it's about being as free as possible to serve God and others. i'm loving the chance to re-evaluate my life and priorities along with choosing a new house. i like change in general, and really like moving, and then the (semi)forced thinking is a favourite as well. this house is big enough for me to keep *everything* i buy or find downstairs - furniture, clothes, plants, dishes.... our new house probably won't be. in fact, the favourite house so far is literally half the size of this one! so there's been a lot of sorting, packing, and putting things in a give-away pile. i've been reading in 1 corinthians lately, and it's been really good for this time.
"For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?(M) And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" - 1 Cor. 4:7
exactly. i have no *right* to a nice house, in a safe neighborhood, with plenty to eat and to wear. i have no *right* to a great family, a delightful husband, and a life here in the Netherlands. not to mention so many more things. they're all gifts. and since they were all free (like half the things in our house) what right do i have to cling to them, while demanding even more? good reminder, God, good reminder :) makes it easier to reduce, say, the 18 plants i have scattered around our house, among other things, and to be open and ready for whatever comes instead of tied down by what i own.
another, interesting note - i've had less nightmares about hurried packing since i've been making our house travel friendly. some people dream about running or falling - i dream that i have to be on an airplane or escaping from the house in a hurry, and i'm not packed. talk about recurring nightmares that are uncomfortably related to your life.... but those have been less, lately. and at the moment, i do have a getaway bag with water, snack bars, and matches. and i know where my passport is. sounds a little paranoid, but when you spend most of your life 'overseas', it helps to be prepared for sudden events - political, work related, or family.
the free from 'baggage' life, in process....
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