On weekdays during Advent we are posting the daily reflection from our Abundance Advent booklet here on our blog. You can download the booklet in its entirety here.
Lately I have felt convicted about the amount of things that I own. I far too often fall prey to the happy displays and bright lighting at Target. Last week I went in there to “buy a wide tooth comb” and walked out with a comb, a brush, a baby one-piece, and two beanies for me. Oopsy! I thought that maybe once I had a baby I’d be saving money by not having the time to go out and shop on a whim… turns out it just introduced me to a whole new world of things I must own.
This is not the first time I have felt convicted about it. There are times that I look around at the clutter that builds and think, “I am such a consumer!” I can usually diffuse the conviction by purging the things I definitely don’t use anymore and donating them. But do you know that feeling when you’ve been trying to ignore a conviction for so long that God starts shoving the message in your face? I had a conversation with my sister about how she was moved to action over a book she read that addressed the dilemma of excess in our lives and encouraged radical giving to those in need. Then I came across an article that suggested ways to decrease Christmas gift spending on your kids, and then I remembered a sermon.
Weeks ago Jason said in a message that as Christians we should not hoard God’s blessings but let them flow freely to others with open hands. Now I wonder, am I hoarding the blessings? God has more than provided for Brad and me over the course of our marriage. Last year He allowed us to pay off my school loans and essentially become debt free. I thought that I was already practicing this idea of blessing others by giving monthly financial support to a couple of charitable causes. But all I have to do is look at my overflowing closet to realize that at some point I have allowed God’s abundant provision to feed the excess in my life. God sees the action, but He’s also looking at the heart, and I want Him to be pleased with what He sees. Don’t feed your desires by accumulating stuff. Know God, fill your heart with His truths and let Him change your desires.
This is all stuff I hope to instill in Elliott as he grows. Let’s just hope I have a good three or four years to put all this into practice myself before he starts paying attention to what I do.