Devotionals

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With the excitement of the spring time season, many get an uncontrollable urge to do spring cleaning. I do not fall in that group; but it does have a large roster to unroll. Maybe you are a VIP, and will make it to top of this year’s list!

Spring cleaning in its purest form requires much more than buckets of soapy water, rags and scrub brushes. The biggest demand is not on your energy or time; it wants to make you openly proclaim to the world, “I AM A PACK RAT!” How could it happen to me, you ask…

We hate to admit we have been lured into the addiction of hoarding; but it’s true! The selfish attitudes of our toddler years are still in control. One of the earliest words spoken is “MINE!”

We cling to things that are of no real importance to us, refusing to open the clenched fist in our hearts and let go.We wrongly believe that there is fulfillment and security in abundance of things. The only lasting fulfillment and security is in a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. He gives us not an abundance of things, but the abundant life, “I came that they might have life and might have it abundantly,
(John 10:10 NAS).”

Shortly after our marriage in 1967 we moved from the Northeast to the Deep South. We made that transition with only what could be held in the back seat and trunk of our 1961 Chevrolet Impala. We rented a cozy 2 bedroom fully furnished house for $75 a month!

As a new bride I tried to learn the disciplines of house keeping. I discovered some litter in lower kitchen cabinets and cleaned the area well. A day or two later it reappeared! I called the problem to my husbands’ attention and his closer investigation revealed an intruder! He found small shreds of material left behind from a pack rat, in exchange for food he foraged from my kitchen! We terminated his career and life!

Clean out those closets and your garage, attic, or basement. Have a yard sale or donate items to a Ministry backed thrift store. It will be a liberating experience!We have divine instruction, “A time to keep, and a time to throw away,
(Ecclesiastes 3:6b NAS).”

I can read your mind; you want that loop hole, “a time to keep!” Yes, there are times to keep special items; but usually they are few. Items holding family memories are priceless and should be preserved for future generations. That is not hoarding; it is an heirloom, to treasure. Most of our stash is just occupying space.

If you are tempted to horde, check your yellow pages for a “Pack Rat’s Anonymous” nearest you!

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