Scripture Sunday: Proverbs 27:7

Welcome to a new weekly feature here on the blog! I'm adding a Scripture Sunday to my lineup!  Deep down, I know how important it is to feed my spirit with The Word.  My day just goes better when I wake up to some verses.  In practice, however, I'm terrible about hitting the snooze button until I'm running so late I barely have time to dress and eat, let alone spend time in scripture and prayer.  I wish I had more self-discipline, but since I don't, I need to cover myself with plenty of accountability.

Enter Scripture Sundays.  I'm attempting a 30 day devotional challenge suggested to us at church (read through Proverbs 1 chapter a day, coordinating chapter # with the date) and I want to start journaling my reading.  So, I'll be jotting down some thoughts on my favorite verse(s) from the week here for you. 

Proverbs 27:7
  One who is full loathes honey from the comb,
    but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.

This is the verse I chose this week.  I'll be totally frank - I've only done my reading three times this week - and this is the only verse that stuck with me.  But boy did it stick with me! 

It's garage sale season around here.  Not only do I love garage sales, but my middle child has become a total garage sale junkie.  He begs and begs to go to one sale after another Thursday-Saturday every weekend.  He's not even 3 but even he gets seduced by the piles of exciting new items waiting to be perused.  And I can't wait to find an amazing deal on something I've been meaning to get forever.  Sometimes, I do actually save money by attending garage sales.  Last summer I spent $20 and filled a HUGE garbage back with clothes in all sizes for my kids. I think I've paid retail on maybe 10 items of kids clothes in the last couple of years (mostly shoes).  It's a great money saver.  On the other hand, I can't even begin to list all the things I've wasted money on at a sale (books I've never read, clothes that didn't fit, toys that were played with once, baskets and boxes and decor that lie around unused).

We have so much stuff in our house - in our lives - that we can't keep track of it all.  We've become slaves to novelty - always wanting something new - and this culture of cheap, disposable items only serves to reinforce this attitude.  A Montesori book I was reading recently really cut me to the quick when it emphasized over and over again the importance of building for your children a very limited collection of high-quality educational toys (and teaching your kids to respect and treat them well), instead of bombarding them continually with scads of flimsy plastic doodads with blinking lights and easily destroyed parts.  Very few of my kids' toys could be described as "high quality."  And their toyboxes are overflowing with all sorts of other "press a button and watch it play by itself" toys that require a continual supply of batteries.  They have so many toys that sometimes they look around at their things and are so overwhelmed that they don't play with anything at all!  I wish I could say this were just a problem with my kids - but how often have I dug through my overflowing closet only to declare that I have nothing to wear?  When was the last time I actually cooked a recipe from my abundant cookbook collection?  How much time have I spent searching for shoes, glasses, utensils, hairbrushes and other odds and ends because they are lost in all the clutter?

My minimalist husband goes mad in our home.  He doesn't understand why we need more than a few pairs of underwear and a bowl and spoon each.  Why so many toys?  Why so many papers?  Why so many rooms to clean?  Wouldn't we enjoy life more if we could clear out the clutter and get back to the basics?  Wouldn't it be nice to spend less time caring for our stuff and more time actually living?  Yes.  Yes it would. 

And as for gratitude.  Why should I expect my child who has "everything" to remember to thank Grandma for the toy he's just received?  Why should I take the extra time to hand wash that special blouse when I have 7 more on the hangar?  An acquaintance recently mentioned that when her kids started high school, she began giving them a clothing allowance with which to purchase their entire wardrobe for the season.  Not only did she notice her children becoming more frugal with their choices and more attracted to the sale-racks, but she said they were overwhelmed with gratitude when they received clothing as a gift! 

This is my new goal for the present.  Cut out the excess, and live gratefully with less.  I'm hoping not only to reign in my purchasing, but to purge some of the excess I've already acquired.  I'm hoping I can apply this concept to my eating as well.  Perhaps I can slowly savor one piece of chocolate instead of making myself sick on 6 pieces.  I hope to eat healthy, nutritious foods 90% of the time, so I truly enjoy the occasional splurges and treats.  And I'm going to redouble my efforts to teach  my children to enjoy (and take care of) the things they have instead of living wastefully and covetously. 

This may seem like such a simple verse, but it has really changed my perspective and I hope it is of some use to you as well!