Today, I got rid of three rubbish bags’ worth of clothes. Let me explain how this many clothes came into my possession.
I became pregnant almost a year ago and at church there was a box of maternity clothing being passed around. Some of it was useful and some of it was well… frumpy. By the time the box came to me lots of the nice clothes had been picked out by others and so what was left were the castoffs that no one wanted.
I also got rid of clothing that had been sitting in my drawers for years and had not been worn. This is the typical story of women. Another typical story is that women have large, messy wardrobes. I have begun to appreciate the minimalist movement; the idea of having 10 good quality outfits that I love appeals to me. It seems vaguely biblical. So out went the clothes that had a hole or tear, that were not my favourites or would not be worn once a fortnight (while keeping the seasons in mind).
Non-breastfeeding friendly clothes also got culled from my wardrobe. I plan on breastfeeding for as long as possible and, God willing, more children will be joining our family in years to come. This means I will be breastfeeding for the next however many years that takes. It seems silly to keep lots of clothes that are not breastfeeding-friendly, as they will hopefully not be worn by me for quite some time.
However, I must confess that those rubbish bags in our car are still in our car. Banishing clothing from the draws is not easy. The thought ‘what if?’ pops to mind. What if we do not have more children, meaning breastfeeding is no longer an outfit constraint? What if I feel like wearing denim shorts instead of the black ones? Should I really get rid of that dress that my mum bought me that I do not like, but she probably paid a lot of money for?
I have committed to purging those clothes and the thought is actually quite freeing.
The feeling of freedom from things of this world made me realize that there is a strong parallel with getting rid of stuff and putting sin to death. It takes faith. It takes faith to believe that I will never want to wear those particular shorts again. It also takes faith to believe God tells me the truth when he says to trust him. It takes faith to believe I am better off not getting drunk, not having sex before marriage, forgiving people who have hurt me.
Thankfully we have faith in someone who is trustworthy. He has fulfilled promises made in the past and he will continue to fulfill the ones he has made for our future. Let us therefore throw off everything that hinders us, including useless stuff in our closets, as well as sin that so easily entangles, so we can run the race that is set before us. And remember that God has promised to set us free.
Rachel Bartlett lives in Christchurch, New Zealand with her husband James, her son Frederick and her dog Pip. She enjoys table top games immensely and plays them every chance she gets with her husband.
Rachel Bartlett's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/Rachel-Bartlett.html