October 22, 2024
When my beloved became a pastor in 1998, a box labeled “TOMMY AND DAWN’S MEMORIES” was gingerly and reverently carried from the attic of our old house to the church the parsonage. It was stored in the garage there for over five years.
That treasure box was carted to our next home in 2003. It was placed in a storage shed.
In 2005, the box named “TOMMY AND DAWN’S MEMORIES” was moved to the attic of the next parsonage where it remained, unopened, until last month.
I had carried, protected, and guarded the box of our first memories as a couple for decades. The container held newlywed memories, notes from high school, ticket stubs, receipts from a trip to Germany in 1982, holiday cards we sent to each other, etc. Loaded to the top with memorabilia from years ago, the contents were now barely readable. Each paper was filled with holes.
That whole “moth corrupts” thing Matthew 6:19 talks about is legit.
My beloved had been encouraging me to go through all the stuff stored in the attic for about, OK, probably five years. At first, he was subtle. He dropped a hint here and there and here and there. I meant to get to it. I planned to get to it, but never did. Finally, a few weeks ago, it was time. One day while I was at work, he moved everything out of the attic. Suddenly, there was no putting it off.
Dreading the task, I prayed before we began and along the way. We went through what seemed like a zillion boxes, finding a thousand pictures, old annuals, trophies, games, etc. THERE WAS SO MUCH STUFF! The hard part of cleaning out the attic was that everything had to be decided upon. Each item had to be assessed and then dealt with. Should it be saved, tossed, or given away? It. Was. Exhausting.
Motivated by the attic purge, we moved to the kitchen and bedrooms. By the end of our spring cleaning, our garbage men were tired and thought we were moving.
Jesus shared these important words with the crowd in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:19): “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy.” The Common English Bible says it this way: “Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth.” That really sinks in!
Our attic and closets were full of “collected treasures” we didn’t even use. I had been holding on to too much stuff! My “TOMMY AND DAWN’S MEMORIES” container was a testimony to that. We had carried the special box like the ark of the covenant with us everywhere we went. But hadn’t looked inside it after 1986 when our first child was born.
Besides unnecessary worldly goods, I wondered if there were other things I’d been holding on to that I didn’t need. I thought of a few. Past hurts. (When I cannot remember what I walked into a room for but can recall hurtful words from many years ago.) Past failures. (Forgiven, I need to let these go and set them out at the dumpster.) Past disappointments. (God has a plan for me and is always working for my good. He knows what is best-what I can handle and what I can’t.)
Are you like me? Have you been hanging on to needless things? God is good and kind. When we ask for His help, He can enable us to rid our homes and minds of stuff we don’t need!
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Dawn Reed is a pastor's wife and newspaper columnist. Reach her at preacherswife7@yahoo.com.
