I AM SO SICK OF STUFF!

Sorry if you were confused by the title, but you aren't going to be reading any drama. I mean it literally, I AM SICK OF STUFF.  If you have read some of the older posts you know that I am so attracted to minimalist living (living with minimal things in a small space). Over the years I have engaged in many small projects to slowly move in that direction, and let me just declare the truth=we are very far from that goal.

You may wonder why I am a little passionate about it right now. I mean, I did use all caps in the title and in the paragraph above when referring to stuff.  Well, here is why. For the past year (or for the past 5 at least...) I have literally been bothered by the amount of stuff my children accumulate. In the matter of a year, hundreds of dollars worth of toys can be found scattered all over the place, in corners, in boxes, in closets, in my bedroom, in the living room, in the laundry area, in...most of them are left untouched. They remain until sometime around November when we realize that birthdays and Christmas is about to roll around and we know we have to make room for the new...and so the cycle continues. Guess what month it is?  (And just for the record, we really have bought very few of those things for them.)

I have noticed that most of the conflicts between my children are over stuff. "Give me that." "That's mine." "Moma, he's got my..." "Moma, he won't let me play with..."  Not only that, all this stuff is a constant source of irritation for Johnny and I. We can clean a space and in the matter of a few minutes, we turn around and guess what? That's right...stuff appears.

The sad part is that it is not just in my own home that I make these observations. I see it everywhere-people are just wanting more "stuff." Seeing what they can take and accumulate. I even overheard an adult the other day coaching his son of where to stand so he could "get more." Adults work themselves to death to make payments on stuff or to accumulate more or nicer things.  It does not make sense. Women replace old stuff with new stuff so it will "look" better.

I have thought about everything we own and to be honest, I cannot think of a single possession I have that adds any real value to my life.  All the stuff that is suppose to have some meaning just really doesn't. I let my friend cut my wedding dress up and make me a pair of jeans and Christmas ornaments with some of it. I remember our wedding photographer just KEPT taking pictures when we got married. I made some kind of comment letting him know I was done.  I remember him saying "You'll be glad you have all these one day."  Almost 18 years later, I haven't had that thought yet. As a matter of fact, I find myself wondering-"What in the world do I do with this bulky album? I wish I just had some kind of electronic gadget with these on it so I could get rid of this thing that I have that only serves to take up space and collect dust. That dress and those pictures have NOTHING to do with the value of my marriage. Nothing!

I constantly find myself telling my children that people are so much more important/valuable than things. However, I rarely see them living it. I often see them valuing things more than each other. I see them greedily take more than they need. I see them miss an opportunity to be givers by standing in line to receive.  I see the very opposite of what I want them to learn. I wonder how they will ever develop work ethic with so much just handed to them? Will they notice others? Will they be givers? Are we doing them a disservice by having all this mess and letting them grow up with the idea they are entitled to living this way? Will they be able to live with contentment in whatever situations they find themselves in life-with a lot or with little?

Here's the deal. I do not think there is a thing wrong with "stuff."  I do not think that there is a thing wrong with my kids having toys-a few or a lot.  I just want them to live in such a way that stuff does not define in any way who they are. I want them to know they are more valuable than the latest fashion trend/name brand. I want them to know that spending time with a friend is more important than giving them the "best" birthday present. I want them to go without so someone else can "get."  Yes, I know they are just kids. But as a parent, I do have to look in the mirror and evaluate every once in a while. 

Ughh...being a parent is such a tough job.  Getting it wrong/messing up just seems like such a big deal! In the meantime, I will just keep striving daily to live a more meaningful life!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving. I am thankful that Christ is sufficient. I do not need a thing. With a lot, with a little or with nothing...I have all I need.