Abundance

Today was our "estate sale". We opened all the doors, cupboards, closets and invited everyone we knew to come buy our stuff. Because the "rules" were different than a typical yard sale, I noticed I had to do lots of explaining--"Yes, go in every single room. Everything is for sale. EVERY-every thing. I will sell you the milk out of the fridge if you want it. Yes-if you can see it, then it is for sale."

I admit, I felt a little bit naked to have my junk drawers and hide-y holes made so public. But mostly I was overwhelmed by an awareness of our abundance. Yeah-yeah an abundance of objects. I can watch dozens of women walk out with boxes of kitchenware and the cupboards are still not bare. And as wordy as I am, there are not enough words to adequatly describe the abundance of school books. But mainly I was thinking of the abundant generosity of people in our lives.

Friends who came early on a Saturday morning to organize and arrange; family members who hauled things from the attic; colleagues who came to add their own items to the sale, and work to get them sold; strangers who chose to look around again for something else they could use--once they knew the purpose of this sale; Christian sisters who stayed until every item was boxed up and the last leaves swept out of the living room.

As overwhelming as the task of managing all the abundance of possessions has been--the awareness of the abundance of supporters surrounding us has been even more remarkable. Imagine: a 7 hour long parade of people through your house, every one of them there to help you. That is an abundance only available in God's family.

I can't help but recall some sorrowful times when I locked myself away, crying out to God, needing the strength of presence, accusing Him of abandoning me. "But I need Your arms around me, and here I am alone."
How easily I forgot that He has planned and provided comfort for us in His family--that the church is called "His body" for a reason. I was so gratefully aware of His strong arms lifting appliances I was too weak to lift, His mouth, negotiating deals I was too tired to make, His back carrying boxes of books...what abundance.

I Corinthians 1:3-5
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.