Are you a hoarder? Is what your holding onto stopping you from fully embracing the new season you are in?
I used to be into scrapbooking in a big way. I had accumulated all sorts of stickers and paper and equipment for this craft. But with my second set of twins I struggled to keep up with it.
I had taken all the photos and had all the stickers and papers but just lacked the time and the motivation to get up to date. The truth is I found it overwhelming and daunting.
I felt an incredible weight of guilt over not keeping these albums up to date for my kids. Just another reason to label myself with the ‘Bad Mum’ title!
A few years ago I decided to sell it all, however I felt insulted and indignant about the low offers I was receiving. After all it was hundreds of dollars worth of products!
Then I heard a friend share about leaving one season and embracing a new one.
The truth was I was weighed down by the clutter and the pressure to use it. I made a decision in that moment to give all my stuff away and to free myself from the burden of that season, one which had now passed for me.
I can’t tell you how much joy I felt re-gifting all my stuff to someone else. Someone who was in that season and loving it! I didn’t even care about the money because something way more beneficial happened in that moment.
I learned 3 valuable lessons:
To be realistic with where I’m at: The reality was that I had no desire to continue with that craft activity. It would have been a chore rather than a joy.
It’s ok to embrace a new season: I had not given myself permission to let go of the old season and embrace the new one.
Accept myself: I am not perfect and sometimes I don’t always achieve all that I want to … and that’s ok. The world will not fall apart because I haven’t done it all!
The things we hold onto can hold us back from stepping into our new season. They create a weight or sometimes guilt with moving on.
Hebrews 12:1 talks about stripping off every weight that slows us down.
It may be something physical such as clutter in the house but it could also be emotional or relational weight. Take some time to re-evaluate your life and see if there is any clutter holding you back.
Lord,
Please show me the things that I need to let go of to fully embrace the season I am in now and not be burdened by seasons past.
Amen
