stuff...

I am ashamed to say this, but I’m a stuff person - I really, REALLY like my stuff.

I have had roommates for years now and I am a firm believer that roommates build character. I have had some really challenging roommates through the years, and I have also been blessed with roommates who have become amazing and dear friends (love you Rachey, love you Shalina, love you Carrie, love you Kenz); but regardless roommates use / wear on / destroy your stuff. Period. Unavoidable. I’ve gotten much better about letting go and not obsessing about my belongings as God has definitely asked me to grow in this area of life; however, I still hear things break and cringe on the inside. I love my Pottery Barn dishes and my Anthro latte bowls, my collection of cake plates and the two sets of dessert plates that I pull out for special occasions. I love the set of Williams Sonoma mixing bowls that were a gift from Jim and Sandy Clark for a birthday one year and all the glassware I collected for my 25th birthday martini party! I’m a sentimental person so I become overly attached - that bowl I bought with Christmas money from grandma or that water flute I purchased to throw my first Christmas party when I lived on my own for the first time - almost everything has a story - and yes, I know I’m ridiculous.

My friend Megan is headed to Texas this week to begin work on her graduate degree. We got together for dinner late last week to catch up and say goodbye and were discussing her apartment needs over delicious margaritas when it occurred to me that I had a set of Martha Stewart pans hidden in the back of one of my kitchen cupboards. I purchased the pans years ago (probably 2008) when they were on clearance at Macy’s. I got a great price on them and they were so cute - red and aqua in alternating colors when stacked. I adored them…so much so that I hid them and never let anyone use them because I just knew my roommates would destroy them. I think somewhere deep down I thought I would just save them for when I got married and I definitely imagined that happening before now. As I sat there, I was convicted. I don’t need those pans. I have a set that we use as needed and they work just fine. All of the sudden I just blurted out, I have a set of pans you can have if you need them Megs. I’m not sure I can pinpoint the emotion that won out as I handed over those beautiful pans (with stickers still on them - though they were covered in dust and probably had a couple dead bugs nestled between them), but I do know it is what the Lord would have had me do.

I want to love people more than my stuff. I want to be generous more than I want to hoard. I want to be faithful and obedient more than I want to be consumed by the world. And I sincerely hope and pray that handing over those pans was proof that my heart is moving in the right direction...and let's be honest, I can always just register for a new (bright and shiny) set when I get married someday!