4 Let them repent of all their sins, and of all their covetous
desires, before me, saith the Lord; for what is property unto me? saith the
Lord.
5 Let the properties
of Kirtland be turned out for debts, saith the Lord. Let them go, saith the
Lord, and whatsoever remaineth, let it remain in your hands, saith the Lord.
6 For have I not the
fowls of heaven, and also the fish of the sea, and the beasts of the mountains?
Have I not made the earth? Do I not hold the destinies of all the armies of the
nations of the earth?
7 Therefore, will I
not make solitary places to bud and to blossom, and to bring forth in
abundance? saith the Lord.
8 Is there not room
enough on the mountains of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and on the plains of Olaha
Shinehah, or the land where Adam dwelt, that you should covet that which is but
the drop, and neglect the more weighty matters?
9 Therefore, come up
hither unto the land of my people, even Zion. (D&C 117:4-9)
It is interesting to read
this block of verses from the perspective of decluttering and organizing
because they point out an important principle that can help us deal with
feelings of loss.
Some people are hesitant to
let go of what they don’t need because they argue, “They don’t make things like
that anymore.” The implication is
that craftsmanship has degenerated since the making of that object, and its
like will never been seen again.
Therefore, the reasoning goes, I
must hang on to this last vestige of excellence even though I have no real use
for it.
I saw this attitude for the
first time in an older woman who was determined to keep a broken plastic
serving platter—she pledged to glue it back together—because, as she said,
“They don’t make them like that any more.” To my eye, the platter deserved
to be discontinued, but I did not say so; after all, she was allowed to have
her opinion as well as I, and she
owned it, not I. But I tried to
tell her that there are so many platters that have been made in this world and surely there would be something out
there she’d like as well if not better.
She was not convinced. I
suppose she never frequented eBay and the variety of styles, ages, colors, and
designs that are represented for sale there.
In the above block of
verses, the Lord was trying to get the Saints to let go of their lands in
Kirtland in 1838 and move to Zion.
No doubt the Saints were convinced it would be impossible to find a
situation of property so advantageous as the place they lived. The Lord’s words in verse 6 and 8 are a
reminder that the earth is a very big place with plenty of space, far bigger
than they realize, so the chances of finding other advantageous places to
settle is high. And, in
verse 7, He even offers the comfort of miraculous transformations—even if the
place they end up is solitary and desolate, the Lord can make it blossom,
bloom, and bring forth in abundance so that it becomes advantageous.
These same reasons can help
us today let go of what we don’t need.
What does it matter if we decide we need it again in the future? The Lord can bring something just
as good if not better into our lives.
Or, if we can’t find what we need, He can help us make something that is just what we need. The principle the Lord wants us to learn is letting go with
the faith that there is something just as good if not better that will come to
us.
Do you need extra help with organizing and de-cluttering? Hire me! Go to www.phoenixhomeorganizing.com for more information about my services! Did this article help you? Be sure to share it with your friends!
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