Treasures.....Earthly or Heavenly?

Last time, I shared how we as a family are on a mission to live a simple life. Not just because it's fun, (sometime it's not fun) but because the Lord has impressed upon us the need to turn to Him to get our satisfaction in life not to this world and the things it offers.

In the Bible, it says in Matthew 6:19-21

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

We constantly feel the pull of the world on us, to keep up with others, buy the newest and greatest, and fulfil our "needs" with things that are really wants. Adult peer pressure is a big distraction from living the way God wants us to.

God knew that these worldly things would be a great temptation to us or He wouldn't have been so clear and direct about how we should live.

So in order to give temptation the boot, we had to start thinking in a different way. When deciding that we wanted our home, our lives, and our hearts to look different than the world, we knew that others might not get it or understand our new focus, but we felt a total peace about what we were about to adventure out into. Our thinking had to change from "I want that!" to "What do I already have?"

We had to make a conscious decision to choose CONTENTMENT.

We needed to start saying "Thank you" to God for what He had blessed our family with, and start saying, "No thank you" to what the world was offering. The world offers temporary excitement, but it will decay and turn to dust, but if we focus our lives on stockpiling heavenly treasures we will have eternal rewards waiting for us.

We think it is so important that any family goal  we have is based in scripture and that we are trying to accomplish it for the correct reasons. Heart issues are of highest importance, because habits wont really stick if they aren't based in true convictions. Those convictions lead us to making decisions with eternal significance.

We've had many hurtle we've had to face on this journey, and one of the biggest has been having how we got  here? No little girls grows up saying,

"I can't wait to just fill my house to the brim with things I don't really need so I can clean, organize, and hoard them!!!"

Yet somehow our house was full of things that we just HAD to have at one point. We didn't stop to ask any questions about the purchases we were making.....they were cool, they were needed, and we wanted them now. Months, weeks, and days later, those same items were stuck in a closet or drawer gathering dust and taking up precious space.

We've had to take a step back to see why some things are in our home and why we bought them. We realized that decluttering and purging is great, but the real way to practice simple living is to be intentional in everything that we do. We realize we can't stop the "stuff cycle" until we start really evaluating what we are bring in to our home. We've introduced a new evaluation technique that we review with any purchase we are thinking  about making. Here are some of the questions we ask ourselves:

• Do I need this?
• Do we have something else that serves a similar purpose?
• Where will this item live?
• Does it fall into our budget?
• Would I enjoy packing this item into a box and transporting it when a move comes?
• Have I talked to my spouse about this?
• Have we prayed about it?
• Have I walked away from it, thought about it, researched it, and still want it?

What are some questions you ask when evaluation a purchase? Have you been convicted about the things your purchase?

Hot Spot #3: Toys and Clothes

Please don't take my toys!!!

So I'm a little late posting the pictures but this got completed early last week! This is the closet in the play room. This is where we keep all the toys, craft supplies, and school stuff! I have been cleaning out other spaces and have found things that belong in here and have just been stuffing them in random places, so it was SOOO time to clean and reorganize this closet!

Before:

After

I'm so excited to have much more space in here, to get rid of unused items, and to have space for curriculum that will be moving in late this summer! It also makes it so much easier to put things away when they have a home and there is space for everything!

It's That Time Again! (and Giveaway!!!!)

I don't know about you, but I am so in the mood for some spring cleaning!!!! I don't think that there is anything quite like the feeling of pulling everything out of a space, throwing away the junk, blessing others with items no longer needed, and putting only the most special items back in in an organized fashion! It's liberating! It's frustrating! It's humbling!

During the month of March, I will be joining the challenge given by Simple Mom to simplify our lives by unburdening ourselves of the stuff that is laying seige to our homes!

On Mondays (the 5th, 12th, 19th, & 26th) in March, there will be a new Hot Spot to work on that week! There will be a prize at the end, but as Simple Mom says the real prize, "is a clean, more decluttered home."

Here are the Hot Spots:

*5th - Kid's Stuf ~ Toys, clothes, etc.*

*12th - Kitchen and/or pantry*

*19th - Closets, counters, & drawers*

*26th - Choose your own adventure*

Since it's only the middle of February and I'm ready and rearing to go, I thought I would spend the next two Mondays preparing my heart and head for the Great Spring Purge of 2012!

I've always been a pack rat at heart. I have great emotional attachments to things, the feelings those things give me, and the guilt of letting an item go. But as with everything in life, if you are trying to fill a round hole with a square peg, it's not going to work. I used my things as a crutch for many years when I should have been relying on the Lord to fill that space.

I used my stuff, my wordly goods, to try to complete me in a way only my Savior could. Only in the last couple of years have I been able to let go of those mere things and realize that they can't fulfil me. I've learned that not only can they not fill a void, but they also distract me from who the Lord wants me to be.

Stuff has held me prisoner for much to long. I've had to

buy it,

clean it,

store it,

move it,

organize it,

straighten it,

dust it,

box it,

unpack it,

declutter it,

and sadly there's been times I've worshipped it.

It made me feel good, feel important, and feel special. Those are feelings I shouldn't be trying to get from material items. By God's grace, He has opened my eyes and heart and showed me that STUFF can be a derogatory word and has shown me my errors and given me a fresh outlook!

I'm so excited to share this journey with you, so I hope you will come back on Mondays to hear how the Lord has convicted our family to focus on Christ, not our things and to share your progress!!

GIVEAWAY!!!

To get this party started I am giving away a copy of Karen Ehman's The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized!! This is a fabulous book that shows you how to manage your time, eliminate clutter, experience order and keep family first! I really enjoyed this book and I know you will too! It's a easy read and it may help you in your journey too!!!

To enter, please leave a comment on why you would love to win this book!!

Extra entries:

* Join the Challenge*

*Share this post on FB*

Please leave a separate comment for each entry!

It's time to register for the 2012 Hearts at Home conferences!

It's time to register for the 2012 Hearts at Home conferences!

Do you need to get your mom batteries recharged? Need some fresh perspective? Want to do something for yourself that will really benefit your family?
You’ll find that and more at one of our 2012 Hearts at Home conferences!

Keynote speakers Michelle Duggar and Focus on the Family’s Dr. Julianna Slattery, will partner up with over a dozen different workshop speakers to bring you the continuing education you need as a mom!

Check out some of the workshops offered this year:
Top Ten Messages You Want Your Kids to Get – Linda Anderson

Confessions of an Imperfect Mother – Julie Barnhill

Frumpy to Fabulous in 30 Days – Shari Braendel

Are You Living In Chaos?- Marla Cilley aka The Fly Lady

Practical Parenting Tips – Michelle Duggar

When Our Kids Make Decisions We Don’t Agree With – Brenda Garrison

What To Do When God Says “Wait” – Jami Kaeb

Get a Grip On Your Finances – Marianne Miller

Encouragement for Overworked Working Moms – Sabrina O’Malone

Tried and True Ways to Earn Money From Home – Marilee Parrish

The Smart Stepmom – Laura Petherbridge

Thriving As A Single Parent – Laura Petherbridge

Three Gifts of Sex – Lorraine Pintus

50 Ways to Improve Your Relationship With Your Husband – Marilee Parrish

Help Your Child Develop a Dating Philosophy – Jill Savage

You Don’t Have to Be Extreme to Save Money – Jill Savage

How To Fight For Your Marriage – Dr. Juli Slattery

The BEST VALUE REGISTRATION Deadline for the March 16-17 National Conference in Normal, IL, is February 15 (that’s next Wednesday!)! You don’t want to miss this year’s conference…it promises to be an incredible weekend of life change.

Registration is also open for our two Fall conferences:
Western Conference, Colorado Springs, CO, October 12-13
North Central, Rochester, MN, November 9-10

If you live too far away to attend one of our events or you have a conflict or are nursing a baby and just can’t make it this year, check out the Conference-To-Go option.
Don’t delay…register today!

Family Fun!!!