Clutter

I've been thinking about the clutter of my life...the things that are around me that I bought or gathered to make life easier. It seems to have actually made my life harder!

How is it possible that things accumulated over time can actually make life harder?  It's the clutter of things that most of us try to maintain, that most of us really enjoy, and yet I'm realizing that my clutter has become my burden as well...all the stuff I have gathered now has taken over my life.  

This week, in one of the groups I lead, we talked about avarice.  Most of the guys had never heard the word before but it has to do with the desire for things.  And yet, with the accumulation of all those things we find life harder, more difficult.  I thought about it this morning and realized we have boxes in our garage that haven't been opened since we moved into this house more than 14 years ago!  Why do we keep them? What's in them?  What clutter is hiding there for us to discover anew?

All this to think about the challenge of our discussion...the challenge to "deaccumulate" our lives.  I wonder how much of the stuff of my life I could actually do without? I wonder how many things I really "need"?  What could I live without?

Jesus invited 12 men to leave everything and follow him.  I know I will probably not be challenged to that choice, but what should I, what can I let go of?  What can I live without?