moving in (what good is stuff?)

what good is stuff? 

i have enough!

it overwhelms and drowns me.

a twister came and took it all;

for 3 days i was free.

then i remembered all the things

i’d stored and loved and cherished:

gifts and letters, photos, files,

things i thought had perished.

i grieved the losses, one by one,

i cried and laid them down.

and then the notice came 

that we could make the trip downtown

to save the things we thought were lost,

to trash the rest and leave it.

and now, our house is nearly full

of stuff - i can’t believe it!

i spend my days arranging, now,

and often i recall

the day the twister came to town,

the day we lost it all.

i wonder why i work so hard

to sort these things i own...?

then i remember that we’re called

to minister at home -

to make our house a place of rest,

of fellowship and giving.

a place of warmth and comfort,

for loving and for living.

and then i think of other homes 

that do not have so much,

and i wonder why the Lord

has overflown my cup...?

i’m torn between the attitudes

of thanks and sabotage!

i want to throw it all away,

though it may yet serve a cause...

to help me in this funny world

of hoarding and of lacking,

to teach me to be balanced

while i’m moving and unpacking. 

thank You, Jesus, for Your love

and for my stuff. Amen.

help me to be thankful 

that You gave it all again.