Purging

I’ve been purging my closet, the basement and my book shelves these past several months. Clothes that I don’t actually wear have gone to the Salvation Army. I’ve not even kept those that I might again wear after I’ve lost the ten pounds that has been my goal for several years. Books have gone to colleagues in ministry or the International Book Project. Tools have gone to Habitat for Humanity. Purging hasn’t been easy because the clothes, books, tools, etc. all have a story. Their stories evoke memories of other times, places, events and/or people who were significant in my personal story. Giving an item away involves my accepting the possibility that I might not recall that specific part of my history again since I no longer have the reminder item. Purging feels like letting go of an old friend. The most difficult purging, however, is not in my closet, basement or book shelves. Rather, it is the purging of thoughts, ideas, assumptions, attitudes, desires, values, etc. that no longer fit with who I really have become or the world in which I live.