Almost seven years ago, we were holding garage sales to downsize for a move to a smaller house – about half the size of what we were living in. Both my husband and I are artists and have collected many things during our long marriage. I’m quick to get rid of things, while he seems to hang on to them for future use. We sorted through a lifetime together and put stuff in piles for recycling – giving away – throwing away or selling. The task was monumental to say the least.

Here we are, seven years later, up to our ears again in stuff – much of the same stuff we tried to downsize back then. Only we’ve added to the stuff. Why do we collect so many things over time and why is it so hard to let go of them? King Solomon, from the Bible, had everything. He had several wives – imagine trying to manage more than one. He had wealth, servants, a beautiful home with all the comforts to go with it. He was on top of the world, yet he felt that everything was meaningless in life. I suppose when you have it all, you tend to think that way. When we save things that have meaning for us, we’re doing so because those things have a memory connection, or possibly a future purpose.

We’ll be downsizing again, I imagine. Life is full of stuff. Sorting through it all is a greater task than I can imagine. We have tons of art, scripts, poetry, writings, clothes we’ll never wear again, paperwork which should have been shredded years ago. The piles are rising once more, but each of those things had a purpose or may again. Like us, the things we add will serve a purpose for us or for someone else. So, there is nothing new under the sun, but what is above the sun is what God has planned for our final purpose. Heaven is our home.