7: Possessions // Week 1

We are one week into our possessions challenge and we’ve already hit 100 items to give away. Wow. We have SO much stuff that we never use!

Here’s a photo of some of the stuff we’re giving away – clothes, shoes, purses/backpacks, kitchenware, blankets, pillows. This photo does not include the two huge trashbags filled with clothes we have.

As I mentioned before, we’ve been looking for places to intentionally give things to. Well, God certainly provided.

Wednesday night Husband and I were talking about some of the things we need we wanted to give away. Since we moved into our apartment, we’ve had an over-abundance in drinking glasses. We both had glasses from college we brought with us, then we got all new glasses from the wedding. And of course, we always use the same glasses and rarely touch the other 5 sets we have.

The next day I went to Havenwood in Bentonville to drop off some volunteer forms. I asked what their current most pressing need was. Can you guess what she said? Glasses. Not plates, not utensils, not bowls. Glasses.

God is incredible.

While we’ve purged our closets (and it feels so refreshing on so many levels), there hasn’t really been anything we’ve “felt.” You know, something you really didn’t want to get rid of even though you don’t use, but you know you should get rid of? I don’t often get attached to my glasses.

But then there it was, a conviction. One of the members of our group emailed about an organization that took prom dresses for those who couldn’t afford them, and it hit me. I have about 4 long gowns in my parents closet and about 4 short formal dresses in my closet. When was the last time I’d worn any of these? High school. Would they even still fit? Probably not. Did I still want to keep them for some reason? Of course. At our community group last week, one girl brought in several of her old dresses to give away and she shared how difficult it was for her to do so, so I knew I needed to give up mine. I keep thinking about how little they’re doing sitting in my parents/my closet and how much they would mean to some girl who might not have even gone to prom if it weren’t for this dress. And in all honesty, will I ever wear these again? Won’t I just purchase a different dress when I do have an occasion to wear it?

So, that’s been my hard thing to give up as shallow as it may sound. Anyway, we still have a week left in the challenge and a few more closets to clean out. Keep praying for us and keep me posted of any specific needs you hear of in the area. I’d LOVE to share another glasses story with you next week.

xo xo