So last week my wife Sarah went to Seattle for a few days. Now I am new to the marriage thing, but I know enough to know that when the wife is gone….it is my job to do something nice around the house for her to gush over upon her return. We have an office and a couple guest rooms upstairs that we all full of stuff. One guest room had tons of picture frames and other presents we got from the wedding. The other guest room had boxes of decorations from Christmas and fall that had never found a home. And the office had my wife’s stuff. Over the years I have been pretty good at getting rid of stuff, while she still has toys from her childhood. That is the way she is wired. I just get rid of stuff, usually right before I need it, thus I have to buy it again. So anyways, the office had about 10 boxes worth of her history. We live busy lives, so even though we had talked about putting it all up for months, there the boxes still sat. So I went to work. Bought a bunch of rubber bins, and started loading them up. Cleaned out both guest rooms, and the attic, and started finding places to put all this stuff. During this process, the landing of our second floor filled up with head high stacks of stuff. I felt like a hoarder all weekend trying to walk through this maze I had created with our belongings. Like a childhood fort gone wrong. Eventually I got all 3 rooms put together and cleaned up so we can use them the way they were intended.
We are not hoarders, but for a couple days, that one area of our house felt like what I imagine the hoarders feel like everywhere. Those shows blow me away. People living decades in a house that is so full of stuff they cant move. I had a hard time dealing with one room being like that for 3 days. I have no clue how I would react or be if that was the way my life was always. A couple days ago, my father and I were talking about someone that we know. We all know people like this. Maybe it is you. This guys is a hoarder. No his house isn’t full of junk (as far as I know). But this guy has all the talent in the world, and knows that God has called him to do ministry. Yet he passes up every opportunity given to him. This guy could be doing ministry in a million different settings and ways. Super talented, great communicator, and very creative. Yet, for some reason he is sitting on the sidelines, while other people, some that lack his talent or ability, minister. He is frustrated because he wants to do something, but for some reason is waiting…..for the sign.
One sure sign of a hoarder is someone that collects things that have usefulness because they hate to see it go to waste. But they end up putting it in their house so sure that one day they will find place or way to use it. How many people are hoarding the gifts and talents they have to change the world? They know it has usefulness, but they just stick it away and never let it do any good.
Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or - worse! - stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. - Matthew 6:19-21 Message
You see, the more you go out and use your talents or “treasures”, the more you will want to keep doing that. If you are not using your gifts to make a difference in the world, it is the same as storing those treasures on earth. Don’t waste the gifts you have. Someone needs what you have to offer. If you are waiting till you receive that “divine message and calling” then you are just hoarding. Jesus never said wait. He said to come as you are. Start making a difference in any ministry, organization, or way that you can. Trust me, if God has something different in store for your life than that particular ministry….He knows where you are and will find you and move you that direction. Do you think that God will only use the talents that you hoard? Of course not….He will use the talents that YOU use. Don’t be a hoarder. Change the world.
peace – love - recycle
2 comments:
Interesting story about you cleaning out the three rooms and getting all the stuff organized and "put up" - Could you update and tell us how your wife reacted?
Thanks!
Interesting story about you cleaning out the three rooms and getting all the stuff organized and "put up" - Could you update and tell us how your wife reacted?
Thanks!
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