Transforming

Have you ever felt yourself being transformed?  For me it all started in December and I wrote this post about potential.  In January when I'm usually busy creating two or three resolutions, I instead clung to this verse, "Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best."  Proverbs 3:9
Yesterday I had an opportunity to give life to a verse I had hidden in my heart!  It was such an amazing experience I hope I can do it justice with these words. 
After our family reunion this weekend, Maddie stayed with her Grammie and PaPa and will be back tomorrow.  This has given me the opportunity to get her playroom set up.  Before I go any further, you need some background info...In 2007 I redecorated our spare bedroom to be a Scrapbooking/Craft room. 

 

ALL of these bins had mostly stuff for scrapbooking and a few other hobbies or crafty things.  

In 2009 we learn we are pregnant!  This has to be transformed into a nursery...

All of the bins now contained the sweetest little onesies, diapers, and burp cloths you've ever seen!  I had to get rid of a lot of stuff and condense the rest down to fit in a little closet in the guest bedroom.
Now, it's 2011 and the guest bedroom needs to be a play room.  The rest of what I had in the closet had to go.  At first it was a really heart-wrenching decision.  You can imagine how much money I had spent on "stuff!"  But after some soul-searching and a heart to heart with Jesus, the decision was easy and crystal clear.  I called the Ronald McDonald House and spoke to the Director.  I asked if they had any use for some scrapbooking supplies for the families or the siblings of those staying in their care.  The House is a place for parents and families of seriously ill or injured children to stay while the children receive medical care.  I knew scrapbooking was a way to express myself creatively and was a stress reliever.  I thought the Mommas could use all of this stuff more than I had since Maddie was born.  The Executive Director agreed!  So I loaded everything up!!  Here's a small smidgen of what I donated...

My Santa Fe was PACKED!! 

I cannot describe how wonderful it felt to donate and try and be a help to families under so much stress. I was very emotional most of the day...working through my selfish nature, guilt for having so much stuff in the first place, worry that I will regret getting rid of stuff or that I might "need" this or that.  But now that the day has passed and the stuff is gone, it's almost as if a burden has been lifted and the spiritual implications of

Proverbs 3:9 far outweigh any "human" concerns I may have worked through.  On Sunday night, Kyle read this quote at our small group written by John Piper in his book A Hunger for God, "The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts.  And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth.  For when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable."  I thought a lot about that yesterday, and it was a good motivation.

  The Ronald McDonald House is a HUGE blessing and operates entirely on donations.  If you are interested in helping they have a wish list of items needed.  If your experience is anything like mine, you will be blessed as much as you bless others!