Well, the last box that is
going to be unpacked has been unpacked. Some will stay
stored, but all that is necessary for life and comfort—and
more than a few things that are really not necessary but
which bring beauty and joy—are out of boxes. Furniture
arranged, paintings hung, home study nicely arranged,
boxes flattened and returned to the moving company. The
unnecessary things sit in garbage bins or ready to be
given away or sold for a charitable cause.
One of the nice after-effects
of a move is that things tend to be unusually clean when
all is done—it’s a wonderful time to get behind
and in-between and really, really dig the dirt and dust
out—especially for those of us who are not normally
inclined to such activity
Now the challenge begins: how
to keep things clean, to keep those unnecessary things
and too much clutter from taking too much space in home
and life. I know even as I write that many in the world
don’t have such luxuries as “unnecessary clutter.”
Nonetheless, for most of us, it is a constant battle to
bring some order to the many things in our lives. And
if we don’t stay vigilant, that clutter—whether
physical things or mental things or emotional things—can
take over. The question then: how to stand firm against
that which drags us down, complicates our lives in destructive
ways, and detracts us from doing the main things.
That, of course, is the challenge
of all who choose to be called “Christian.”
How to stand firm against the thoughts and actions and
temptations that so invitingly say, “Turn away from
your path toward more Christ-likeness and indulge your
laziness, your willingness to compromise the essentials,
your deep-seated apathy and fear toward taking a stand
against injustice.” What resources do we have at
our disposal to help us stay the course? How can we avail
ourselves of the riches promised to those who are called
the “children of God?”
