Honestly, I had never experienced anything like it. I had heard about hoarders but had never really seen one up close. I had driven by the house many times and always thought, “if anyone lights a match that house is up in flames.” So the truth is, I was curious when I saw the for sale signs. I wandered through broken dishes, lamps, tables, potted plants, etc. I even found a treasure for my best friend, Jody. I texted her the address in case she wanted to go on a treasure hunt. “You might want to drop by. You never know, you might find a surprise.”
We are quick to think it won’t happen to us
When she arrived, Jody texted me, “Do you think it is safe?” Yes, follow the aisles of stuff in the front and back of the house. “There’s a house???” she responded. You get the point. It was almost impossible to see to the home. It was sad and fascinating at the same time. I wondered, “How does this happen?” Thinking it would never happen to me. Yes, I have too many dishes, candlesticks, and vases, but they all serve a purpose. At least, in my mind, they do. My judgment of this person had begun. I allowed no excuses. But then Matthew 7:3 rang in my ears and heart. “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” I protested. I’m not a hoarder! But then the Lord confronted me with my own unique type of hoarding–not material things, although as I said, I have way too much– but emotional things.
Can we “hoard” emotional hurts?
How many feelings of hurt, unforgiveness, anger, resentment, and disappointment have I stocked up and hoarded? I bring them out to review at specific times. They help me rationalize my less-than-righteous thoughts and my sense that I deserve better. I remembered my girlfriend’s questions, “Is it safe? There’s a house?” The Lord has a sense of humor, doesn’t He? He knows my hoarding of emotional hurts and disappointments is far more dangerous from the eternal perspective than a physical collection. My Father knows that my spiritual home is where He dwells, and from this home His love should freely flow. How will anyone see my spiritual home and experience God’s love through me with all the emotional hoarding and clutter blocking the way?
We don’t have to bear burdens alone
The man whose house I visited that day said he had come to terms with being a hoarder. He was selling everything. He faced the fact, made a plan, and he dared to get rid of it all. This man’s pile of stuff is much safer than my spiritual hoarding of love not given, grace not provided, mercy and forgiveness not extended.
The Lord used this experience to help me face my hoarding. I pray I will have the same courage and get rid of it all.
Blessings,
“You can’t reach for anything new if your hands are still full of yesterday’s junk.” ~Louise Smith
“Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” ~ C. S. Lewis
“To heal your wound, you need to stop touching it.” ~Anonymous
Personal Parables is the blog of Dyann Shepard. Get Dyann’s complementary study in Proverbs and prayer guide, What to Do When You Don’t Feel Good Enough. If you need encouragement to remember the truth about yourself in times of doubt and anxiety, this free 5-day study is for you. Follow Dyann and Personal Parables on Instagram and Facebook. Dyann is available for speaking, guest blogging, and article writing.
Personal Parables practices:
- Is there an old hurt or wound I keep looking and picking at?
- Am I willing to let go of what I have hoarded and replace it with God’s presence?
- What new growth will I experience when I clear out the old for the new?
Will you pray with me?
“Holy Father, forgive me for hoarding old wounds and disappointments. Open my eyes and heart to the old junk buried in my soul and give me the courage to let it go. I want to move on and go deeper in my relationship with you and others. May I live each new day in the joy, freedom, and peace you have given me. Amen.”
Scripture for Meditation
Philippians 3:13-14 – Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
Ephesians 4:31-32 – Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (ESV)
Isaiah 43:18 -19 – Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. (NIV)
Music for Reflection
Take a moment and listen to New Day by Danny Gokey.
