Out with the old...

Throughout this year Brad and I have been purging some old and very outdated things and adding some new items to our home and lives. Brad and I are not big spenders, but we've been budgeting gradually for a couple of items. The first to go was the couch!
We've had this couch in our lives since the fall of 1996. That's right folks, for over 12 years! It was in Brad's college apartment for 2 years, in my apartment for another, and in our home (as a married couple) for 9 years! It was the ugliest couch, but really, really comfortable...that's probably because once you sat down, you could never get up. Our youth group students were pretty sad to see it go, but it eventually made its way to the basement of one of our students. So if we (or Tika or Bobbi) miss it, we can still visit it!
We weren't sure what kind of couch we wanted, but after finding this one at Ashley Furniture for 45% off, we bought it. And it was our VERY FIRST major furniture buy of our marriage. That sounds really sad, but we have been blessed with so much that we really haven't needed to make any big purchases. And we had NO CLUE how expensive furniture could be! But God is good and has always provided all we need...and we REALLY love it!

The next thing to go was our comforter and bedding. (Sorry, I don't have any pictures of the previous bedspread.) The ladies in our first church hand-made a really pretty quilted comforter for us, and I really treasured it. But after 9 years of washing and use, it was getting pretty faded and worn out. So after many months of shopping, we found this GREAT bedding set for 70% off! Yahoo! We added a mirror, picture frames, and some candles, and it was a brand new room.
And the last thing *sniff, sniff* to go was our beloved Isaac. This is the 2nd Honda Accord that we've said good-bye to in our marriage. He was a GREAT car. We were really sad to see him go, but we really needed a van.

So we upgraded from a 90 Accord to a 97 Honda Odyssey...who is affectionately named Homer. I cannot tell you how much I LOVE my mini-van! I love running errands with him and having the extra space! And even though he's an older model, he fit our budget and our need.

But recently, sometimes in the very same breath, I am both praising God for His goodness and wonderful provisions, and am frustrated and complaining with what I've got. Recently another friend bought an Odyssey, and I was SO EXCITED for her because I have loved ours. But a few days later, I began to think how nice it would have been to have a newer model or one with fewer miles. I could feel myself become unsatisfied with what I had. And the discontentment bug began buzzing around my ear like a pesky mosquito.

And in my Sabbath Rest time this week, I was reminded that our attitude is a lot about perspective, and I realized that I had lost mine. I let my eyes wander to another person's stuff and began to be envious. I also forgot about those who have far less than me. And after some confessing, gratitude wells up again in me, and I am at peace again.

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33