BFS Assignemnt #104 {Never Leave Home Without It}

 

Don’t Leave Home Without It! (Marketing Credit: American Express)

Memory Verse: Matthew 28: 20 - Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:  and lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world. Amen.

Intro: Never Leave Home Without It (Marketing Credit:  American Express) Diapers, bottles, wipes, bibs, pacifiers, extra clothing, cell phone, PDA, ipod, iphone, credit or debit cards … what would you never leave home without?

Assignment: In the memory verse Jesus tells us that He will never leave us, not even at the end of the world.  He assures us in this verse that He will be with us and that means through everything we go through in life.  I thought it would be interesting to write about the things we would never leave home without.  For some it might be baby needs, others it might be a gym bag and bottle of water, and for some  it might be your Bible and a notepad or small journal, maybe even your son or daughters favorite blankie!  I’d like for you to write about something that you would never leave home without.

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This is a surprisingly difficult assignment for me.  I read the assignment, posted the intro and instructions on my blog, and thought about what I always take with me when I leave the house.  And couldn't come up with much that was very interesting, certainly nothing unusual.  So off I went to read some other assignments to try and get my thoughts flowing.  First I visited RebeccaC and she wrote from the point of view of evacuating in case of an emergency.  (If you haven't read her assignment, you need to - it is thought-provoking, for sure!)  Then I visited Mrs Sombra and Jenni, and they both wrote about the practical things that they take with them on an everyday basis, which is kind of what I was first thinking when I read the assignment. Now... hmmmm.... what DO I insist on having with me when I leave the house?

 

I have way too much stuff.  WAY too much.  We are trying to get rid of the things that we don't need, don't use, and don't really enjoy.  But it is a long process.  Maybe I should make a point of taking at least one load of "giveaways" with me every time I leave the house, with the caveat that I don't bring it back.  Hmmm...

 

I always take a purse when I leave home.  Sometimes I have to decide which purse, and make sure that the other stuff I want is in the purse I choose.  I must have my wallet, my cell phone, and both keyrings. I have one keyring that has my vehicle and house keys, so obviously that is essential.  My other keyring has my library card (like Jenni! - that's something I really want with me at all times!) and the club cards for the different grocery stores etc.  I almost always have a book along with me so I'll have something to read if I'm stuck with a wait at a doctor's office.  I like to have purses to choose from - not expensive designer purses, just fun or quirky ones that suit my mood.  Right now my purse of choice is one I brought back from Honduras, so it carries wonderful memories as well as my "stuff"   And I've found that when I'm shopping, that purse also reminds me of a lesson learned in Honduras (and I got a refresher course by reading Rebecca's assignment) - that there really isn't much I need. I have a home full of creature comforts that I take for granted, but the majority of the world doesn't have - things like clean running water, indoor plumbing, reliable electricity and phone service, private bedrooms, LOTS of clothes and shoes, books (including several Bibles)...  so I need to stop and think before I buy something else.  Do I really need it?  Chances are I don't.  Maybe I should write that on a bright colored card and put it in my wallet to make sure I remember before whipping out that credit card to "pay" for something I "just have to have"

 

I'm sharing the picture of my Honduran purse to go with my assignment:

On the other side is the Honduran flag:

"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  ~ Matthew 6:31-33