I'm working on it!

Have you ever noticed how many ads there are, everywhere? On TV... BUY THIS THING/SERVICE/PILL AND YOU'LL BE HAPPY/ORGANIZED/HEALTHY. Online, BUY THIS STUFF AND YOU'LL BE INTERESTING/IMPRESSIVE/RELEVANT.

I'm tired of all that. I fall prey to it as much as the next person. Buy these shoes and you'll be comfortable and stylish! Buy this bracelet because you know you want one! You'll be helping some lady in India if you do! DON'T YOU WANT TO HELP SOME LADY IN INDIA?! NO? WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU! And, who doesn't want a pretty new bracelet? Or comfortable shoes that look nice? 

There's a lot I want. A new bedspread. Different bar stools. And there's a lot I don't need. A new bedspread. Different bar stools. Linen clothing. Granny bras. Ok maybe I do need those, according to style mavens but whatever. I'm not trying to impress anyone with properly aligned boobies. 

It's a daily fight with me. The 2 little personalities on my shoulders, one saying "you don't need that" and the other saying "it might make you happier if you have that" bicker constantly. I have to ask myself "why" and if the answer is "you already have one that works" I will try to talk myself out of it. Usually I succeed. I don't see it so much as self-denial as practicality. I already have so much, more than I know what to do with most of the time. If I can't be happy with what I have now, it's a guarantee that another silver bracelet won't improve things. If someone isn't impressed (as if that matters) with my current wardrobe, then they aren't really the sort of folks I'm interested in anyway... as if I want to impress anyone with blue jeans, long sleeved t-shirts, and hiking boots. I mean...c'mon. 

And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15

Right now I have so much to go through and make decisions about. Fishing gear mainly. I don't need saltwater fly rods nor boxes and boxes of lures. I am sure someone out in the world would be delighted to have a new rod and reel, I just have to find them. And until there's room for breathing, nothing new needs to come into the household. Not a new bedspread, nor a bracelet. I am trying to make room for a life I can live well. There's a lot to clear out, physically and metaphorically. A lot of work to do. 

Halp!

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 1 Timothy 6:6-8

I really need to take these words and put them in front of me constantly. Contentment with what I have is a daily struggle.