Barn & Rummage Sale!

Every six months or so, our church holds a big Barn & Rummage Sale, during which we fill the fellowship hall with donated clothing, fill the kitchen with breakfast and lunch items to sell, load the tables with baked goods to offer, and empty out the barn of household items that have been left by people since the last sale event.  For two days, we sell all these things to the public, at very low prices, and it's a big event, for both the church and the community.

It's also a satisfying time in our own households, as we take the opportunity to rid ourselves of some of the unneeded stuff that has accumulated over time.  I tend to avoid disposing of things that I don't really need, and they gradually begin to take over all the space in the house.  I think I tend to keep such things either because I received them as gifts, or because they are in perfectly good condition.  Sometimes I keep clothes that no longer fit, because I hope that I will soon lose enough weight to wear them again.  I want to honor people who have been generous to me, and I don't want to be wasteful.  But it is wasteful to horde things that are not usable, and gluttonous to hold onto clothes just because they might someday fit me again.  I know that, but I tend to be slow to act on that knowledge.

The Barn & Rummage Sales help me get over all that, because I can give all that excess stuff for a good cause, and feel confident that someone will have a good use for the things I do not need.  The Sale events also re-connect me with my church family.  I really enjoy seeing how much fun it is, when we all work together!

My life can also sometimes get cluttered up with other habits and distractions that keep me from being productive and effective.   I know what habits I should change, but day-to-day events just take up all the time.  That's why I need the church.  I need the church to remind me, in a periodic way, of what is important.  I need the church to help me discard the clutter in my life, and engage my energy in tasks that matter.