400 Pounds Later
One of the projects on my summer to-do list was cleaning out my storage unit before moving to Kenya.
I knew it wasn’t going to be exhilarating fun…
However, what I didn’t know was that it would take one Goodwill trip, one landfill trip, over 400 pounds of things thrown away, and still only get halfway through the unit.
Let the record show that I don’t recommend paying to store things over six years, just so you can pay even more money to throw away over 400 pounds of it… just realize that you’re only halfway done.
Note to self: AVOID TJ MAXX & HOBBY LOBBY AT ALL COSTS!
Working my way through box after box, I found things I hadn’t thought about in years.
Old journals, college notebooks, souvenirs from different seasons of life, cards from friends, cards I never sent out to friends (even though they were stamped), random cords to electronics I no longer own, and of course, enough “I’ll probably need this someday” items to make me question every version of myself that packed those boxes in the first place.
It’s funny how that storage unit has become my own personal time capsule at $95.00 a month.
Every tote seemed to represent different chapters of my life. There were reminders of growing up in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Reminders of dreams I had, places I’d been, and seasons that shaped me into the person I am today.
Some memories made me laugh, some hurt more than others, and some simply reminded me how quickly life moves.
Somewhere between sorting boxes and making that trip to the landfill, I realized I wasn’t just getting rid of stuff.
I was letting go of a life that no longer serves where God is taking me.
That doesn’t mean those reasons weren’t good. Some were, some were more challenging than others, but they all played their part in shaping me into who I am today.
I will always love La Crosse. If you offer me ice cream from The Pearl, a movie at the Rivoli, or ask me to go see Rotary Lights… there is a 100% chance I will say yes, without thinking twice.
It’s home, or maybe it’s more accurate to say… It was home.
Coming back this summer felt different, not in a sad way. Not in a dramatic way. Just… different.
For the first time, I was ready to go; I wasn’t wishing I could stay. I was looking at it with gratitude. Gratitude for the way God used every chapter, even the ones that I didn’t understand at the time, to prepare me for what comes next.
Sometimes we spend so much time asking God to open the next door that we forget we also have to be willing to close the last one.
Cleaning out that storage unit had far more to do with making room in my heart than just finally emptying it out.
Not because I’m trying to forget where I came from. I’ll never forget where I came from, but because I don’t want to carry boxes into the next season that God never asked me to bring.
I still have another trip out there this month; there are boxes to sort and decisions to make… and honestly, there are probably a few more trips to the landfill in my future.
But as I drove away last week, sweaty, exhausted, and wondering why on earth I owned so much stuff, I couldn’t help but smile.
It didn’t feel like I was preparing to move across the world again; it felt like I was making room for everything God has been preparing for me all along.
And somehow…
That made 400 pounds feel a whole lot lighter.
Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter of my journey. If God has stirred your heart and you’d like to partner with me as I prepare to serve in Kenya, I’d love to invite you to click the Partner With Me button below. There, you can learn more about praying, giving, and staying connected as we see what God writes in the chapters ahead.