Cleaning out the pantry

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This morning I'm cleaning out the pantry; clearing the shelves of things that have been there for a while (some "a while" longer than others!)

I'm making all kinds of discoveries of forgotten or misplaced (as in put back in the wrong place) items. There are all those durable goods like cans of soup and jars of spices, and then there's the crackers they almost bend they're so full of moisture. I am seeing what has been packed away in there and finding there are things that are good and things that can most definitely be disposed of!

When the shelves are cleared and cleaned I'll start putting back the important necessary stuff and arranging it so I can find what I need.This is a good thing. At the moment it feels more like a tedious, irritating thing but I know in the end that I'll be grateful I've gone through this process.

There are times that God stops our frantic whirling and we're faced with cleaning out the stuff of our living. Times we are forced to stop and take stock of what is important and what is just clutter. We sort through all the stuff in our hearts and decide what is durable truth and what are we hanging onto that has gone stale. It is an emptying out of ideas, conceptions, and expectations and then choosing what to reincorporate into the center of ourselves.

I'm writing obliquely, I know, for I long to let you find yourself in this parallel by whatever means you recognize this reorganization in your own life. Change is a big motivator - be it by job loss or gain, a move, a death, or anything that makes us stop living life as usual and take stock.

It's not easy to look at everything and decide what to keep and what to discard. At times it is exhausting to weigh what is important and what is peripheral, but I know in the end that what is truly valuable will be put back in its place and that is a very good thing!

Comments

Kathy said…
This post is so excellent. As one who has experienced this during health crisis especially, I appreciate your putting it into words for me.
June 1, 2010 at 8:57 AM
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