I was asked the other day as someone walked out of my house with some tables and other “stuff” if it was hard to see it go. The bag of feelings is not as mixed as I would have expected. No question, there are a lot of memories. No question some of those memories have not been embraced in many many years.
Somebody walked away with my yard tennis game and it made me think of the hours of fun in our home in Edmond, Oklahoma that I had playing with my kids for the “family championship”. The number of last points that turned to best two out of three, the number of times we would be called for dinner and have to play “next point wins”, and the number of times I lost to my incredibly gifted children who were so delighted to beat dad; now those were the days. Interestingly, while the equipment is now gone, I still have the memories. In fact, they are fresher for having pulled the equipment out and looked it over. I even remember the last time it was put away and one of my kids was keeping score on a little yellow sticky that was still in the bag. They were winning by one point and I am sure that is why the little yellow sticky was left behind.
The balls were crusty and cracked, the rackets were still good and the net seemed just fine. I threw in the little hammer that we used to put the stakes in the ground. But, while all the stuff went out the door, the memories lingered freshly new in my mind.
God has given me a good family. Not perfect but then they didn’t get a perfect dad either. But what we had was a chance to grow, learn and develop together. What those years mean to my soul is nothing short of amazing. The memories did not go out the door. I still have them. They are the precious thing.
And now, we are using the resources of sold stuff to go help children who do not have such fond memories. Children who do not know families exist in God’s design for their good. Young girls and boys who long for a chance to experience real love as their hearts cry for something they do not know. We are selling it all to be “Imitators of God (Ephes. 5:1)” who gave all that he held on this earth for the lost ones of his creation – including me.
Missing stuff. Not really, I still have the memories. Come on by and buy some stuff or donate for the cause of going.
In case you don’t know, Debbie and I are entering a new stage of work. We are moving to Cambodia as soon as we can sell our stuff and raise our support so that we can engage in the work of Prevention|Rescue|Restoration|Reintegration of children from the world of sex-trafficking. This is work that may dwarf any other work of our lives. We hope and pray we will be part of a great new movement of our day that sweeps the world. Be a part of this with us.