“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