When I talk about living life unencumbered by excess stuff, I understand that it’s a real struggle for a lot of people (including me). We live in a society that is constantly teaching us to be discontent with what we have, and we’ve been conditioned to believe that we won’t be satisfied until we own the next “hot” item. If we buy into this lie for any period of time, chances are we’ll end up with a lot of possessions that need to be managed. Ironically, if we accumulate more than we can keep track of, those things will end up managing us. This is why it’s important to guard our hearts and keep ourselves from investing our well-being and happiness in what we have. As disciples of Jesus, it’s vital to “clean house” and maintain a posture of heart that desires Him above all else. We must be willing to give certain things up in order to keep Him first, and for many of us, this can be painful. To help, I want to offer one simple practice to ease the discomfort of loss: focus on what you have left. 

My friend, nothing has the power to change your life like a changed mind. When you are walking the narrow road as a disciple of Jesus, pruning will be part of the journey. As you give up old habits and encumbrances in an effort to become more like Him, it will be painful, but the pain can be mitigated by focusing on the good things that remain. Train yourself to see the positive in circumstances and situations, and know that there’s nothing the Lord will ask you to give up that will not be restored with an even greater measure of Heavenly treasure.