My wife and I are presently going through a common rite of passage for the recently retired.  We are opening boxes, rummaging through closets and crawling through our attic in an attempt to scale down the stuff we have collected throughout our lives.  In the process, we have discovered many items we forgot we had, and some we never knew we had and are clueless of their origin.    

In addition, we have been selling what we don’t want on eBay and Facebook Marketplace.  I have learned the fine art of scouring our neighbors’ garbage piles for boxes and bubble wrap to ensure our sales reach their destination undamaged. 

Scaling down can be hard since we often develop emotional attachments to our possessions.  I don’t consider myself to be a hoarder, but I am a “saver”.  The line between these two might be a fine one, but I assure you our home is neat and I am not in need of an intervention.  I just have boxes.  Lots of boxes.  Lots of boxes full of…Well, let’s call them treasures. 

During this journey I have developed some criteria to categorize what I want to save, sell, give away or toss.  I have also pondered ways in which my thought process might be transferable to other areas of my life.  I have decided to share them with you for your consideration (or amusement). 

Category 1: TRASH.  In material terms, this includes unusable items that are just taking up space.  Ink pens dry out, pieces affixed with glue come apart, glass becomes chipped and broken and bugs invade boxes and stain surfaces with excrement.  I apologize for this last rather graphic example.  But hey; it happens!  What I once thought I might need is rendered useless.  

The Apostle Paul once wrote about trash (or more specifically, excrement).  He noted he was from the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee of Pharisees, a Hebrew of Hebrews and a fierce persecutor of the church (Philippians 3:5-8).  But these accolades of the “flesh” were “a loss” (literally, animal dung) for the sake of knowing Jesus.  I am not suggesting my bug-stained keepsakes are as valuable as Paul’s pedigree, but I now am certain when something is broken and useless, it might as well be discarded.  This includes anything in my life I once thought I needed, but later discovered to be weighing me down.  What about you?  Do you have some bug-stained trash you need to ditch?   

Category 2: UNWANTED.  Items in this category change with life’s seasons.  The passing years impact what I consider important.  For example, over the years, I have collected Hot Wheels die-cast cars.  As a young boy, these $1.00 toys were an indulgence at a time when my parents had to be very careful with the family budget.  When I was older, and had a little extra cash of my own, I bought more Hot Wheels cars.  Many more.  Others discovered my passion and gave me cars as gifts and one of the highlights of my ministry was a Hot Wheels day I organized at our church, sponsored by Mattel.  Now, I am selling my stock, and am facing my emotional attachments head-on: “This car was from a County Clerk employee who took me to Woolworths to pick it out when she was terminally ill.  She died months later…keep!”  “This one is from a McDonald’s Happy Meal when my kids were small.  Not sure why it was never opened…It can go.” 

For me it is Hot Wheels.  For others it is something else.  Many things grow less important with time.  As we go through life, we should work through all of our boxes, real or symbolic, reevaluating what things are worth to us.  When I was in my forties, a wonderful man by the name of Reggie Epps, who is now deceased, asked me, “What do you want?  What does Larry Jones want?”  I can’t remember what I told him, but I have never stopped asking myself the same question.  And so, allow me to ask you, “What do you want?” If you find it, keep it.

Category 3: USEFUL.  I have several items I have kept because I thought they might be useful someday.  Now, I have determined “someday” has come, and I don’t need them.  I have decided to keep screws, nuts, extra car parts and a variety of tools that I use for DIY projects.  But stuff I will never use is being trashed, given away or sold online.    

I recall that Jesus’ disciples held onto a few possessions as long as they were useful.  Peter, Andrew, James and John still had their fishing boats after Jesus’ resurrection.  They likely passed them along to others when they became full-time “fishers of men”.  I also remember Peter’s trip to the home of Tabitha (Dorcas), where some widows showed him the clothes Tabitha she had made for them.  The clothes were a testimony to Tabitha’s generous heart, which was one of the reasons the widows were mourning her passing.  Fortunately, Tabitha’s sewing days weren’t over as Peter raised her from the dead.    

Although Jesus taught us our final home is in heaven, He also acknowledged there are things we need while we are here, such as food, drink and clothes (Matthew 6:25).  We should seek the kingdom first, while remembering that God knows we have practical needs.  I thank God for every item in my “useful” box and rejoice when His providence provides just the part that I need to avoid an expensive repair bill. 

Category 4: MEANINGFUL.  We likely all have a few saved possessions that hold meaning.  For me, this category includes photos (paper or digital), vacation souvenirs, heirlooms and newspaper clippings (Do you remember hardcopy newspapers?) I have a copy of the Indianapolis Star newspaper with the headline “PEACE”, commemorating the end of the Viet Nam Conflict.  As a fourteen year-old boy facing the possibility of the draft, I was deeply moved by the headline.  I have a couple of old books my father gave me from his ministry library.  He actually gave me hundreds of his books, many of which are out of print, but nearly all were lost in a fire that claimed our church building.  The two books aren’t in very good shape, but they remind me of my father’s loving gift.  They aren’t very useful, in a practical sense.  But they are meaningful.  Finally, my wife and I have kept a box of wedding memories, including planning calendars, programs, guest lists and a unity candle, and another box full of some of our children’s baby items.  These continue to have great meaning in both of our lives.

Jesus knew the importance of material things that hold meaning.  He initiated a supper with a cup and bread to commemorate His death on the cross.  And while Jesus didn’t leave behind a physical cross, He did give us an indelible description in His Word.  In response, we have recreated physical impressions of the cross.  Some church families also use a single communion cup to more accurately reflect the Lord’s Supper.  I have a large communion cup from a congregation where a famous historic event occurred in our church movement in the 1800s.  An elderly minister gave it to my father and he gave it to me.  It has meaning.

I encourage you to hang on to things that have deep meaning, or give them to someone who will treasure them, as well as their story.  Others may not want your meaningful things when you are gone, but that’s OK.  For now, they will keep you grounded in times of trouble, and remind you of the goodness of God.   

Category 5: POWERFUL.  I do not believe physical keepsakes have magical power, although I might have a rabbit’s foot in a box somewhere.  Alright!  I definitely have one!  But it isn’t a real rabbit’s foot and I don’t believe it has power.  However, I have kept a few possessions that touch me so deeply, they have the power to reset my perspective on life.  Examples include a file box full of cards and letters from brothers and sisters in Christ over fifty years of ministry.  I read them occasionally to remind me of ways God has worked.  I have audio and video recordings of my mother singing.  Through them, my mother can still comfort me as she sings, “Hold on my child; joy comes in the morning.”  I also have several Bibles, but the one that holds power is the small New Testament given to me after my baptism.  It marks the date as January 31, 1966.  When I open the back flap and remember the day I gave my life to Jesus, I am assured He is the One who gives me power.  He is my Victory!

Hopefully, we understand the stuff in our boxes is temporary.   One day someone else will own what we have or it will rest deep in a landfill.  Remember, this does not mean our keepsakes have no significance.  But in a country where people have so many possessions that they rent storage space to store what they can’t fit into their house; it makes sense to distinguish our trash from the things that hold meaning or power.  And if we do keep a few items, it is good to have a plan.  If we know exactly where they are, we can pull them out when we are a little down and need to hold “a few of our favorite things”.  We can leave them to future generations with a written history of why they are important.  And if they bring us joy, we can use them (such as my grandfather’s hat I wear when I work in the yard). 

Take time to appreciate and enjoy the things you choose to keep.  Otherwise, they are just taking up space.  In closing, I consider when the Apostle Paul asked Timothy to bring him a few important items while he was in prison.  His list included a cloak he left with Carpus in Troas, his books, and “especially” his parchments (1 Timothy 4:13).  These were useful to him in his circumstances, but I can’t help but think they also held meaning and it was encouraging to think he could hold them again.    

Keep what you want.  But know why.  And if you want to keep everything until you retire and then sort it out, don’t be ashamed.  I hear some people do.