Last time I updated this was right before I was moving to Spain. Almost a year has passed so that I've been to Spain and back, and will be heading back over there again in a little over a month's time.
With this time being home, I decided that I need to be strong and downsize the amount of junk I have in my life...and I have a lot! It adds up over time. After living away at college and acquiring enough stuff to fill a bedroom, and then moving to a foreign country and collecting even more stuff there, I realized that my already full bedroom at my house could not handle weight of my desire to hold on to things.
I'm really not so bad that I need to be on that new show on television called Hoarders. I just have a slight problem with letting go of silly things like teenage notes from my high school best friend, old magazines, and an assortment of memorabilia from menus from neat restaurants to old concert ticket stubs. I like to look at these little things and be reminded of different times in my life.
Look, this is what I came home with after living abroad: (the rest is still in Madrid!)
What a fun time I had going through all of this. First off, anyone who knows me well enough, knows that I am a procrastinator. I've gotten better over the last few years, but there are some things that I will always put off until I can't put them off anymore. I didn't conquer the arduous task of sorting through this mess for a few weeks. Whenever I needed something I just dug through the clothing to get what I wanted and then piled everything back in!
A few weeks ago I decided it was time to do some seriously overdue spring cleaning in my bedroom. I cleaned out my desk, the boxes under my bed, and the clothing in my closet (although I know there is still clothing hanging up that I will never wear and need to get rid of). I had to let go of a lot of things that were just taking up space and not being used. I put the nice things that I could give away in bags, and they ended up going to my church for a garage sale to raise money for a mission trip. :)
This summer for me has been about organizing my priorities. I've learned that I can only do so many things in one day, so it's important to set my mind to a task and work on accomplishing that one thing instead of overwhelming myself with an extensive list. I've also realized that in order to keep things organized, I have to make an effort to pick up after myself everyday. If I leave things out of place each time I use them, then I slowly make myself a bigger task I will later have to face, rather than if I put each thing in its proper place after I use it. I know this may seem like common sense, but I have to repeat these ideas to myself so they will stick.
One of the biggest things I've been working to change is my understanding of what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus. Just like with keeping my room tidy, I have to make an attempt everyday to choose Jesus over myself. If I'm honest, when I wake up in the morning my first few desires are to go pee, find something to eat and to check facebook. I know that I have to stop and give some time to God first, or the rest of the day I will be more preoccupied with myself than with anything that he wants me to see.
I started reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan last week. This book has already opened my eyes to so many things that I had heard before but never really thought about. I recommend this to anyone who wants to know what Christianity is really about.
Last night as I was reading, I wrote down this thought, that only when when our hearts are aligned with God's heart will our actions be fruitful and our words be uplifting rather than degrading. This involves everyday making a decision to actually live out the calling that God has given us. We can't sit around waiting for tomorrow, because as cliche as it is, tomorrow is not promised to us. Today, and right now are all we can be sure of. Therefore, starting right now, I'm going to do my best to live a life that glorifies my Savior, and points people to His love.
1 Corinthians 10:31 "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God." (ESV)
