My neighbor stopped and opened his window as he drove to his house tonight and joked: “Hey are you sorting your garbage?” – funny but true – and I was pulling recycling out and separating it from other trash which I was careful to keep together and not let fall in the road – I am good with my trash for sure, LOL… And we had a nice conversation after that about life and about health and about accumulating too much stuff – which he knows about from one of his family members and I know about stuff and stuff and stuff too – and well we pretty much are typical Americans with typically too much stuff – and yet we do like our stuff – and well so if it not a danger for us to walk around our houses then let us let stuff be stuff… But remember to not start to worship your stuff – don’t get too much stuff – nor get so stressed that you don’t toss some away too…

But organizing our stuff is a whole another story. I have been gearing up for a new side business of helping people sort their space and declutter their stuff – and well it is not mandatory that we toss anything or donate – but those are great ways to clean up and make room for more stuff – better stuff right?!? And in sorting stuff, which I have done for years with my own family and my own stuff and a few neighbors and friends, I know it is hard to get rid of stuff – for multiple reasons…  Sentimental YES – and valuable YES – and we are stewards of family heirlooms, YES. Hold onto good stuff – or at least partition it to others but don’t let it clutter too much nor go bad and become junk… And then there are those partial piles of stuff we hold onto YES = what I mean is that we want to find all the pieces of the puzzle or match the stuff together before we donate – or find all the game parts before we let it go – even if we have no control with what the people do with it then… But we DO (me too) try to right our own wrongs for losing things. We build bigger houses for more stuff. (I am glad I have to pare down for my small house).

This is typical – I have a whole display of single earrings because I lost the other and can’t bear to part with them. I hold onto those mismatched socks just praying to find the lost one – and yes, my kids toys, I have held them back from others who could possibly play with them until I find the last bits – but have to realize that when I give them away that I then have no control whether THEY lose parts… It is hard to be a responsible person but not a trash-aholic at the same time, geez… Basically it is hard to give up control…

But there is precedent for when we SHOULD give up control – that is when the One asking us is God Himself. God wants not to “be controlling” in a negative sense but to be known to “be IN control”. And honestly we can NOT take control away from God – we are NOT God. And although we do wander and wander and wonder until we get realization of where we are going – until then we should try to realize that we should listen – depend upon Him in the tough spots (and the easy ones too)…

Recently I have been listening to the bible teachings of Moses and the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt – and wow there were A LOT of those people. I appreciate Pastor Joe’s teachings online (like the link below, Exodus 13) and how he explains that the sheer number of people Moses was leading would have been millions stretched over 750 miles, protected undercover the cloud by day and led by a pillar of fire at night, which was only visible to them and not to the outside!  God was in charge of them but they were complainers and they were forgetful of miracles that they saw – God protected them but still they doubted God. (And they had to carry all their stuff with them too – but God provided the food – God gave the stuff).

I know I am (we are) like people with Moses doing some wandering ourselves, both exile and exodus traveling – not knowing the plan that God has – and not taking the time to focus towards Him, God wanting us to look, ask and listen, leaning in to Him… Moses’s people wanted to go back to Egypt when things got tough – but God wanted to get them to that Promised Land

Clearly God knows the Way, and what God wants is for us to depend upon Him!!! God is keeping me (us) under His wing and we are to be trying to okay even when things are not okay!!! 

Pastor Joe also reminded us that this is a reflection of how the Internal Fire, the Holy Spirit moves us today. We have an internal Saving Grace and we are to listen. And honestly we are to give up our control of our lives to His Will – this is tough but God knows best! https://resources.ccphilly.org/SAM1447

God has us covered too – and we have His internal Light to follow. Will we or when should we give up control? Well I am working on that too!!!  TO GOD – not to our will but HIS. One day at a time – one moment at a time… Keep remembering this day, month, year is a blip in our lives WITH the Lord – keep moving… We are to walk not wander, listen not get lost, hope not hear hype, comply not complain… AND KEEP MOVING!!! 

AMEN

Exodus 13:21-22   And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

AMEN