I confess I’m a yard sale junkie. \u00a0On most any Saturday the signs in the neighborhood trigger those irrepressible hunter-gatherer instincts. In no time I am digging through other people’s junk looking for treasure.<\/p>\n
It is amazing, too, what turns up, and what I convince myself I can use. \u00a0Clothes, jewelry, books, CD’s, weird gadgets, ceiling fans, the occasional birthday or Christmas present even. \u00a0(If you’re reading this, be assured that\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>have never received one of these.)<\/p>\n To find that great deal that no one would ever guess I bought at a yard sale is a rush. \u00a0I love those moments when a girlfriend exclaims, “I love your skirt! \u00a0Where did you get it?” \u00a0Then I can answer matter-of-factly, “At a yard sale…for a buck.” \u00a0Which typically elicits a mix of surprise and feigned envy.<\/p>\n Of course there are those times when even a yard sale purchase becomes regrettable. \u00a0Regrettable because once you’ve bought it you can’t take it back. There was the carpet that we later discovered smelled like a whole litter of big, hairy dogs had slept and peed on it over the course of a lifetime. \u00a0Or, the never-worn, boutique dress that looked stunning on a hanger but that neither I nor every girlfriend on whom I subsequently pawned it off could wear without feeling like her chest was concave- hence, “never-worn.”<\/p>\n There can be something mildly voyeuristic in the whole enterprise of complete strangers investigating other people’s old stuff. \u00a0At various times when I have stumbled upon something of interest that is now of no value to their owner and have made an innocent inquiry, it has felt as if I have unknowingly overstepped a hidden boundary in our brief acquaintance. \u00a0The other day I was poring through a treasure trove of theological literature at a moving sale. \u00a0I had exclaimed, “What a great library you have! \u00a0These are books that we ministers love to read!” \u00a0The woman selling the books in a moment of self-conscious admission then shared that she at one time long ago had been a member and elder of a nearby Presbyterian church. \u00a0Apparently these books had belonged to that “phase.” \u00a0It was clear she felt a bit uncomfortable with the direction the conversation might take. \u00a0I didn’t ask questions, but she gave up those books willingly, 50 cents a piece, and I was glad to give them a home.<\/p>\n Lately, I have been struck by the fact that much of life is a process that involves weeding through our metaphorical “junk”- and we all have “junk” if we’re honest. \u00a0There’s all of the baggage we’ve collected through the years. \u00a0Or, the stuff that others pawn off on us, a bit like dresses that don’t fit right but that now we’re stuck with. \u00a0Sometimes it is hard to find a place for it all. \u00a0(Have you ever had the experience of your stuff being turned away by the Salvation Army? \u00a0I have, once.)<\/p>\n But when we can’t find a place for the wrongs we’ve done or that others have done to us, or the hang-ups, inadequacies, or shameful secrets, or the sudden losses that rock our world and leave us wondering how to make sense of them, Jesus can. \u00a0When we can’t find a rhyme or rhythm to the various and sundry items that we’ve laid out on our lawn in hopes that someone will find a use for them, or see their intrinsic value, Jesus can. \u00a0He specializes in making a home for “lost” people and things. \u00a0“For the Son of Man came to see and save the lost,” \u00a0He says (Luke 19:10). \u00a0All we need to do is surrender.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I confess I’m a yard sale junkie. \u00a0On most any Saturday the signs in the neighborhood trigger those irrepressible hunter-gatherer instincts. In no time I am digging through other people’s junk looking for treasure. It is amazing, too, what turns up, and what I convince myself I can use. \u00a0Clothes, jewelry, books, CD’s, weird gadgets,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":461,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,25,20],"tags":[2451,2450,67],"class_list":["post-192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-humor","category-jesus","category-redemption","tag-jesus","tag-redemption","tag-yard-sale"],"yoast_head":"\n