Do you have everything you need?

  Proverbs 2:6 
All wisdom comes from the Lord, and so do common sense and understanding

The other day I was watching Extreme Clutter on the OWN network, and I was watching this one particular because it was dealing with the lady who was a shopping addict.  She was buying all this stuff daily for her kids ~ stuff they didnt need.  By the looks of the house (especially what was put outside) she really fed her addiction.

I always thought that maybe I had an addiction to shopping and to some degree maybe I do.  I do tend to buy my kids "stuff" that they dont need, they play with it for a couple days and thats it.  I could have bought them a Happy Meal from McDonalds and they would have played with the toy that came from that much longer and got lunch out of it as well!

I do tend to just buy "stuff".  Stuff with no importance.  Its not helping my life only hindering it.  In the show as they started to purge away things, make quick decisions to get rid of items that they didnt need or that their kids didnt need, you could see this light begin to shine in their faces.   It got me thinking that this is going to be added to my list of goals this year ~ to start purging and stop buying!

But it got me thinking of something else ~ It made me start thinking of how we allow stress, maybe bitterness, to start building up in our hearts.  Do we allow material things to outweigh what we really need in our heart and our lives?  With Emily's situation (or when my son went to live with his dad), I could have easily built up bitterness towards God.  I could have allowed that to overwhelm me and to not allow  His love to hold me, to comfort me.  One song I found that i was perfect was by Kutless called "Everything I need".  It really speaks to me.  When I find I am so weak (at the store) and feel I am at such a low point with Emily or the fact we have to go to the doctors again or fighting with her about taking her medicine everyday ~ I feel so much better when I hear this.....Lord you are my strength when I am weak, You are the refuge I seek.....You are everything I need!

I urge you to take the time to do some "extreme" cleaning in your own heart.  If there is any bitterness that you are holding onto, when you dont feel you are strong enough to deal with your circumstances are ~ remember, HE IS EVERYTHING you will EVER need!  I hope you will listen to this song.