thingsthingsthingsthingsthings

I have always had this love hate relationship with money. (Don't we all?) In the past few weeks I have been learning a lot about the difference between being able to afford something and the need for something. In general I feel like I do a pretty good job with budgeting and not spending much but I have started to notice more and more my attachment to things...regardless of their worth- in that most of the things I am attached to are thrift store finds or homemade gifts. It's interesting how things hold power over people.

A wise older woman that I know once told me about a lesson she learned where she felt that the Lord was asking her to give her things away to her friends. For instance, when anyone complimented things in her house, things she wore etc she would give the complimented item to the person that paid her the compliment. She said it was very freeing, hard, but a good look into idolatry and insight into her attachment to things. I tried to imagine what it would look like for me to do that and I automatically started praying, "Lord, please let no one like anything that I own" hah. On the other side of things, I'm trying to find the balance between enjoying the beauty of things- the Lord gave me great taste(in my opinion :p ) and being idolatrous. It's not really the money value of things, it's the thing itself that poses the problem. So I'm in this place, trying to discover healthy giving and healthy buying, healthy sharing, and healthy sacrifice.