It All Goes Back in the Box

John Ortberg has a new book with this phrase in the title. I had every intention of reading it until it became somewhat autobiographical. I am living this little story right now as we sold our house this weekend and have to be out in less than 2 weeks. Now you may be wondering why I am sitting here writing instead of packing.......honestly, this post has been on my heart for a day or two and I frankly just needed a break from the boxes! My friends laughed at me when I told them two weeks, but then they followed it up with "if anyone can do it Sherri, you can. You have no junk!" I guess that is true, and even the junk we have we are throwing out or donating. We are moving most of our things into storage and the things we need will go into an apartment until we know where God wants us to be. I am surprisingly excited about the apartment (ask me again in a couple of weeks and that may change), but for now I am excited. I'm relieved to have less square footage to clean, less toilets to scrub, less stuff to collect dust. I am thankful my children will have only the toys they play with instead of an entire room full of stuff they barely touch, let alone engage in. Now don't get me wrong, I have loved the space of our house and I don't think there is anything wrong with "stuff", but there is something truly freeing about going through my house and asking how much I really need it. As I sort out what I want to keep and what needs to get tossed, I remember going through my Dad's things when he died. My mom and brother, and me and my husband picking out a few things we wanted to keep - nothing of value, just sentimental. I still have those few things and enjoy looking at them every now and again. My husband chose not to keep anything from my dad. He said he had gotten all he wanted from my father while he was alive. The advice, encouragement, love and acceptance he received from his father in law was life changing for my husband, and those are the things he still holds onto to this day. As I go through my things, I envision what my boys will have to rummage through when their father and I have gone to be with the Lord. What things will they keep? Will they keep anything? I hope our children do what my husband did when my father passed away. I hope they have enough great memories to hold onto forever, that the "stuff" we leave them pales in comparison. Because when the game is over, it truly does all go back in the box. I guess it's just a matter of how many boxes you have, how many times you are going to move it, and who is going to be the final one to get rid of it. "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;" Matthew 6:20 "