Giving up stuff for Lent

Imagine taking everything out of your kitchen and putting it someplace else in your house. We recently did this because we needed to replace our kitchen cabinets and it was eye-opening. This will probably come as no surprise but we had no idea what we had hidden in all of those spaces.

We had expired food, glasses and coffee cups on shelves so high they were never used, and an entire drawer of junk (hence the name junk drawer). I found myself trying to figure out a way to store all of this stuff. I threw a few things out but what I have discovered about myself is that I need at least two iterations to get rid of stuff. Initially, there are easy decisions to make about what to let go of but then the next iteration is more difficult. There may be emotional energy attached to certain objects and I have to get to the point where I realize they are just objects and let them go.

At the moment, we are living in 30 feet of space for six weeks as we make the rounds visiting children and friends. Life is much simpler in a space where we can only fit a small number of clothes, dishes, and other stuff. There is less laundry, less anxiety, and less waste. I already knew this because we spent five months living in an RV in 2020.

Lent is an excellent time to think about letting go of stuff. When we let go of physical stuff, it’s like a first step because then we can think about letting go of emotional stuff. What’s the attachment to carrying the (pick one) guilt, anger, or whatever it is.

With the stuff, I put it up on the Facebook group that gives away free stuff in my neighborhood. Someone comes and picks it up and I feel better not having thrown it away. With the emotional baggage, I lift it up to God and ask for help in letting it go.

What are we holding on to this Lent that we need to let go of?