Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts

Storing Stuff vs. Stewardship

Following up on last week's "Stop Buying to Become" and "Trapped by the Trappings," I'm re-visiting this blog post, which was originally published two years ago:

 The Garage

 Something had to be done about all the stuff stored in the garage.

 So, last week I decided to spend fifteen minutes every day "making a dent" in the dozens of boxes that got thrown into the garage during last summer's hurried move.

 The boxes I needed to reorganize contained the best of the best of my sewing supplies. 

 I'd given away no less than twenty boxes of fabric when we moved four years ago, but I'd kept my favorite cuts for special projects I just knew I'd find time to make. 

 I'd given away hundreds of patterns but kept a few dozen I was certain I'd use "someday." 

 And I'd hung onto all my expensive tools and supplies: sewing machine, serger, countless specialty feet, snap and grommet fasteners, packages of seam binding, yards of elastic, buttons galore, and so much more!

 A gorgeous 6-yard cut of a camel-and-cream herringbone silk/wool blend was in the first box. I'd purchased it, oh about ten years ago, specifically to make Daniel what was sure to be a stunning long coat. (I'd kept the pattern for the navy wool coat I made him during our first year of marriage 22 years ago.)

 However, while lovingly lifting the fabric from the box, I suddenly dropped it in disgust, as a shower of mouse droppings scattered over the garage floor. Upon closer inspection, I saw – to my utter dismay – yellow spots all over the top of the fabric. 

 Hoping against hope that most of the fabric could yet be cleaned and salvaged, I shook it out to its full length...and discovered that the little vermin had gnawed ragged holes through all six yards (for which I'd originally paid $20+ per.)

 I felt sick.

 As I stuffed the ruined fabric in the trash can, I rued the waste of good money and the loss of beautiful fabric. 

 Someone could have used that fabric if I hadn't kept it in storage.

I looked around the garage. 

 Someone could use ALL of this stuff if I quit insisting on storing it!
Stewardship?

 According to Mirriam-Webster, stewardship is "the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care."

 In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells of three servants who receive money from their master. Two put the money to immediate use; one buries it. 

 When the master returns, he says a hearty, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" to those who have taken action with the money, inviting them to "enter into the joy" of their master.

 But the servant who stored the stuff is condemned as "wicked and lazy" for his failure to at least allow others to put the master's wealth to good use.
Letting Go

 So began the Great Gregory Give-Away.

 Annemarie and I pulled out all the boxes marked "Christmas Decor" and ruthlessly sorted. Anything broken we trashed. Anything not used in the last four years (two moves) went in the "Give Away" pile. 

 We set a dozen boxes near the community mail boxes in the ad building, and I sent out a mass e-mail, letting everyone know that that there was FREE STUFF waiting to be re-owned. Everything was gone in less than a day.

 This week, I had Daniel take all boxes of "sewing stuff" out of storage. A carload of boxes got moved into my classroom, where I've spread out the fabric, the notions, the tools, the patterns... all of the stuff I've been storing "for someday" since Annemarie (who turns 20 in March) was 10. And I've sent an e-mail to everyone on campus, inviting them to let themselves in and take whatever they can use.

 Several friends have urged me to slow down, to list the "valuable" items on eBay or Craig's List. "You could get some money for that!" they assure me, warning me against the wasteful extravagance of just giving everything away.

 But focusing on money is what motivated me to store all this stuff in the first place. Knowing "how much I paid for it" or "how much it's worth" caused me to stuff stuff into boxes, to stuff shelving units with boxes, to stuff a garage full of shelving units. 

 I shudder to think about how much money have I already wasted by storing perfectly good stuff until it's past use.

 I clearly have much to learn about "the careful and responsible management" of the wealth God has "given away" to me. I've prided myself in being faithful to pay my tithes and offerings, but that's not what stewardship is about. Stewardship involves everything He's entrusted to my care.

 So, I'll start with my garage...and see where He leads from there.
Two Years Later

 I'd love to say that our family has miraculously transformed into minimalists in the last two years. 
But by now you know me well enough to be very suspicious of such a claim.

I'd love to say that we're "doing better" than we were two years ago. 

But even though the garage isn't any worse, and I did spend the month of June de-cluttering, I think we've been holding our own.

Or at least I have.
  • Holding my own clothes because I might lose the weight or the style might return. 
  • Holding my own scrapbooking supplies because someday I just know I'm going to become a real scrapper!
  • Holding my own books because...well...they're books! 

I'm considering "tear" as my one word for 2013.  (I like it because it can have so many meanings...multiple words rolled up in one...almost like cheating only not!)

For years, I've reluctantly "let go" of some of my stuff. 

"Let go."  

So passive.  

(Difficult, yes! But still passive.)

I need to start tearing.  

Tearing away.  Tearing out.  

(Yes, I may well tear up in the process!)

I'm tired of "holding my own."

It's time to tear.


Your Turn!
  • Do you relate at all to my original blog post from two years ago?  Why or why not?
  • What "stuff" do you find easiest to let go?  What do you find hard to even consider "tearing out" of your life?
  • Anything else on your heart!


Coming in January!

Labels: , , , , ,

Trapped by "the Trappings" {Guest: Katy McKenna}


Katy McKenna is a blogger, writer, and completely inspiring Godly woman I've loved following on Facebook. I’ve gained comfort, strength, and inspiration from reading her reflections on caring for aging and ailing mothers.

After I posted “Stop Buying to Become Someone” on Wednesday, I noticed Katy had launched a conversation on the same basic topic. She’s graciously given me permission to share her insights with you today!  

But first, this hilarious comment Katy added to Wednesday's post:  
Oh, Cheri, you got me good on this one. I have far too many examples to list here. But I'll throw out tennis stuff, since I've already thrown out tennis, hahaha. When I was about 20, three girlfriends and I decided to be a foursome on the tennis court. I had never held a racket in my life, but could just SEE myself in a darling outfit. (I'm partial to having the right outfit to waste the rest of my money in.) I went out and bought a tiny-skirted costume, socks, shoes, racket, balls, and I think a little visor cap, also. And we played tennis! Once. I have never hated an hour more in my life. I knew then that I'd probably always have a tiny problem with "style over substance." And by golly, I have.....


Accumulating “the Trappings”

So on the episode of Hoarders I watched this morning, a 66-year-old man accumulated construction materials and tools and how-to books and magazines for the handyman. He owned several rental properties besides the main house, shared with his wife and adult daughter---neither of whom were hoarders. 

The rental properties, which he'd owned and had intended to remodel and rent out, were filled with his hoard, as was the main house. The properties could have been bringing in $4000 in monthly income, but had never been rented out in DECADES. They were his storage units for the very stuff he could have used to make them profitable.

The psychologist involved in the story said that the man had developed his identity by surrounding himself with the trappings of a carpenter, remodeler, and handyman, but that he wasn't actually DOING those things. In fact, his properties were the worst maintained of anyone's. 


Releasing “the Trappings”

In response to watching this episode, I got rid of umpteen writing books I am not using. (I kept the best ones.) Would I rather surround myself with too much stuff that makes me LOOK like a writer, or actually BE a writer? Substance over trappings, always.

The gathering of the "trappings" can come to completely replace the true goal, and can also deceive you into believing you're achieving the true goal. Hey, I've read all these books--I MUST be a writer! When that can only be determined by actual words on an actual page--MY WORDS.

Owning a treadmill and a recumbent bike doesn't make me someone who exercises, either. It does make me look like I might have exercised, though, and makes me feel good about my potential for exercising. But that's all, besides taking up space.



Downsizing and Moving On 



Downsizing is NOT easy or for the weak-willed! I figure the time is now, not ten years from now when we might be sick or tired or lack resolve. We're chipping away at it so that when the time comes to move out of "the big house," we'll actually be able to.



Move on to creating new things. THIS should be the goal, right? Not collecting or holding onto to stuff that keeps us from creating. 



Closing Comments from Cheri  

Thank you, Katy!!!

For several months, I’ve been thinking, “I should thin out my teaching books.” But I’ve not been able to, and Katy’s words, here, help me understand why: I’ve been holding on to “the Trappings” of being a certain kind of teacher without ever actually becoming that kind of teacher. 

Based on my shelves, I’d need at least 50 consecutive teaching careers to become every single “kind” of teacher I’ve got books telling me how to become! 

Now I realize that it’s time to get rid of the obvious mis-matches -- the books that promote a type of teaching contradictory to who I am -- and keep a select, manageable library of the books that help me maximize my God-given strengths and manage my PURSE-onality weaknesses.


Your Turn:
  • What “Trappings” are you holding on to? What might help you let them go more easily?
  • When have “the Trappings” replaced the original goal for you? 
  • How have you successfully downsized in an area of your life?
  • Anything else on your heart!

Coming in January!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Labels: , , , , , ,

Stop Buying to Become

“Bump! Bang! Bash!”

I should have checked immediately...walked out my classroom door to see about the commotion.

But right as I decided to halt instruction (for what felt like the hundredth time that hour), the hallway noises fell silent.

Later, I noticed this:


Yeah, I should have checked immediately.

Evidently a couple of nameless boys were “rough-housing” when they slammed themselves into the display case.

The one I paid for.

With my own money.

Replacing the plexiglass would cost the same as replacing the entire display case. So I’m faced with
  • leaving it (ugly)
  • replacing it (costly)
  • removing it (time-consuming)



Upset With...

I’m not just upset with the boys who broke something for which I’d paid good money.

I’m upset with myself for buying them in the first place.

You see, this is one of four display cases that I ordered and had mounted on the wall outside my classroom.

My vision was that I would become the kind of teacher who displays student work. 
  • Their writing.  
  • Their art.  
  • Their photography.

But that was several years ago, and as you can see, all that’s in this one display case is a poster promoting a writing contest to my seniors.


The other three display cases?  

Empty.

Why? 

Oh, we could be here all day exploring the answer to that simple question!  I’m…
  • non-visual!
  • over-committed!
  • global-abstract (rather than concrete-specific)!


Broken Thinking

Yes, I’m frustrated that the boys broke the display case. But not just because of the money.

Mostly, it's because they made more obvious something that was broken from the start:  

 the idea that if I buy ___, I'll become someone who ___.

For me, it was the idea that if I bought the display cases, I’d become someone who displays student work.

You probably haven't bought a display case (or 4!) recently.

 But perhaps you’ve bought...
  • ...a size-whatever dress, in hopes you'll become someone who has a size-whatever body?
  • ...a gourmet cookbook, so that you’ll become someone who cooks amazing gourmet meals?
  • ...a stenciling / scrapbooking / stamping / whatever-craft-is-hot-for-women-to-do-these-days kit, believing that this time you’ll become someone who stencils / scrapbooks / stamps / crafts?

Buying something to become someone who...is a temptation year-round. But for me, it peaks in December. 

Everywhere I look, I see women who so-and-so better than I do. And it’s so easy to believe that if I buy such-and-such, then I will become someone who so-and-soes, too!

My broken display case has been a jarring reminder that buying something to become someone wastes the resources God’s entrusted to me.

And ultimately, buying to become wastes the someone who He’s already paid for me to be. 
God bought you with a high price.
1 Corinthians 6:20a (NLT)



Your Turn:

  • What items are you most likely to "buy to become"?
  • What does it mean to you, in the midst of your daily life, that "you were bought at a price" (NIV)?
  • Anything else on your heart!



Coming in January!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Labels: , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)