Sorting Out
"Faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is
love." (I Corinthians 13:13)
The time came for my mother in law to do a major sorting out. 10 years ago she
went through this process when she became a widow and moved out of her large
Florida home to an apartment Georgia. Now she was moving from a 5 room apartment
to a 2 room -in an independent living high rise.
I have been helping her sort through all kinds of things. It is amazing what we
accumulate over the years. We have gone through closets, dressers, medical
papers, and kitchen paraphernalia galore. Items were sorted and stacked in piles
for distribution among the three adult children. Some of the things had great
sentimental value, others had practical uses.
I thought about how we all accumulate “things” and then the time comes for us to
give them away. It made me wonder: what am I gathering? When and whom will I
give it to? God tells us to gather things of eternal
importance, not temporal things.
My mother in law has given the most important thing to her children, and they
may not even
realize it. She has shown them a faith that has not faltered during these last
10 years.
During difficult times she has proven how God can sustain one who has faith in
Him. She has always been open and verbalized how she prays for her children and
grandchildren, and believes God holds them in the palm
of His hand.
So, each piece of furniture, each nic nak and all the other things that will be
going to her children’s homes will be wrapped with a layer of faith, hope and
love. I hope these children will not tear off that wrapping and discard it. It
is the most important gift of all.
Marion Smith