The Rest is a Pile of Junk

A few months ago we were getting ready to embark on a three-day journey to our new home. As we emptied every last thing out of the house we’d lived in for the last 12 years, we stood in our garage full of stuff, exhausted, emotional, and desperately trying to fit all that stuff into our two vehicles, along with six kids, and the cat. We then realized something.

We’d made a huge mistake!

A week earlier we had to decide what stayed with us in the house until our day of departure and what went onto the moving truck. Guess what, we left WAY TOO MUCH behind, giving us no choice but to weed out the things that weren’t important enough to take with us. We threw a nice big pile to the side of the house, and my SWEET SWEET parents took care of it the next day!

“Seek not after riches nor the vain things of this world; for behold, you cannot carry them with you.” Alma 39:14

We COULD NOT carry them with us! But we MADE SURE we carried what was MOST important.

I love the Lord’s words to Emma: “Lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.” D&C 25:10

What do I need to lay aside?! What “vain and foolish things” are leading me away? What are the things I’m seeking that just don’t matter? Maybe I need to seek for the BETTER?

President Nelson said, “...Examine your life meticulously and regularly. As you do so, the Holy Ghost will prompt you about what is no longer needful, what is no longer worthy of your time and energy.

As you shift your focus away from worldly distractions, some things that seem important to you now will recede in priority. You will need to say no to some things, even though they may seem harmless. As you embark upon and continue this lifelong process of consecrating your life to the Lord, the changes in your perspective, feelings, and spiritual strength will amaze you!”

What is worthy of my time and energy and what is not?

As I was writing this, my youngest crept out of bed, SO excited to show me EXACTLY how fast he can read “Green Eggs and Ham.” It was FAST. :)

THIS, I will carry with me. Moments, family, people, kindness, gratitude, God.

The rest is a pile of junk that can be hauled away to the dump.