Priceless Treasures?

August 25, 2020 by  
Filed under Daily Devotions, Humorous

By Janet Morris Grimes –

Truck rented. Check. Everything that fits, and a few things that clearly do not, crammed into boxes. Check. Boxes labeled. Check. Utilities disconnected. Check. Cable box returned. Check. Mail forwarded. Check. Final walk through scheduled. Check. Keys turned in. Check. Papers signed. Check.

And, 350 miles down I75, we repeat the same process, in reverse. Papers signed. Keys accepted. Walk through completed. Mailbox key tested. Cable box picked up. Utilities turned on. Truck unloaded. Truck returned. Check.

And we are left with what seems like a million boxes, stacked against every available wall, with‘too much stuff’ waiting to see if it finds a new home, or gets sacrificed to the eternal dumpster.

As Ty Pennington would say, “Welcome home, Grimes Family. Welcome home.” But instead of running to see what treasures lie in wait in our perfect home, we are exhausted, with countless hours of work ahead of us.

This is the second time we’ve done this during the past 3 years, and last time, downsizing from a 3000 square foot home to a tiny apartment was quite humbling. It brought us face to face with the fact that our stuff owned us, instead of it being the other way around. As with our previous move, we found ourselves doing everything our ‘stuff’ told us to do.

Life, mixed with a tumbling economy, has changed our perspective on the meaning of the word ‘home,’ and all that can be found inside it. Just a few short years ago, I treasured our house, especially during holidays when it was decorated, and filled with family and friends.

However, ‘home’ is now wherever our family can gather to create memories. For the moment, it may be a tiny apartment. As I survey the boxes, I can say that only a few of them held what I would refer to as “treasures;” mostly family photos and hand-written letters from the kids when they were younger.

Perhaps God knew that a family that moves together creates some fun and crazy memories together. 2012 begins with us sitting on the floor, eating pizza out of the box, and entertaining one another because of the lack of internet access, and wondering if the dumpster might hold virtually all of our boxed up ‘treasures.’ Wouldn’t it be easier to simply start over?

Thankfully, this world is not our home.

And with each move, we prove that more and more.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for creating a place for us. Please guide us as we find a place to worship, friends that draw us closer to You. We trust You with our future, no matter how unsettled we feel at this moment.

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves to not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20 NIV).

About Janet Morris Grimes

Janet is the author of The Parent's Guide to Uncluttering Your Home, released in April of 2011 through Atlantic Publishing. She launched Abbandoned Ministries in 2010, which leads others through her writing and speaking to seek God, as Abba, during times of abandonment. She currently writes monthly for Christian Woman Today, the grief website Open to Hope, and Mamapedia. For additional information on Janet, visit her website at http://janetmorrisgrimes.com or http://abbandoned.com.
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Comments

One Response to “Priceless Treasures?”
  1. Robin Steinweg says:

    Wow, Janet–how often do I do what my stuff tells me to do?? That is going to stay in my head!

    That sentence is worth putting up on the mirror (along with Matt. 6:20)!

    My eyes must be tired, though, because when I got to your prayer, I thought it read “we trust You with our furniture…” Ha! Well, I guess we do, but more important to trust Him with our future. 🙂

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