Worth It

I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. – Philippians 3:8 (NRSV) 

For the past month, I’ve been on an organizational tear. I’ve opened every cabinet, drawer, and closet in my home, sorting through our stuff and ruthlessly donating things we don’t use or need. Many of these discards were easy: laptops from 2010, bridesmaid dresses, CD collections that require long-lost boomboxes. 

But a lot of them were harder for me. For example, books. How will people know I’m smart if my bookshelves aren’t laden with tomes like Wuthering Heights and Christianity in Early Antiquity? And craft supplies—I may want to etch glass again someday! Really. I might! 

The question that got me through these more complicated decisions was this: Will the joy outweigh the cost? 

Will the freedom of extra closet space be nicer than the disappointment I’ll feel if I finally find an occasion to wear that sequined top? Will every day that my kitchen drawers open smoothly offset the one day I need those special herb-cutting scissors I’ve used three times in the past five years? 

Faith works like this, too. You have to make choices, sort through your values, lose some things. Some people might not like you because you’re “always talking about race.” Your family may miss Sunday morning soccer practice because of church. Life could get messy if you’re arrested at a protest. 

The promise of faith is that you will be freer with these losses than without them. 

It’s costly to claim your values fearlessly. It’s hard to invest in meaningful community, especially in the face of competing priorities. It’s risky to lay down your privilege, even a little, not knowing where it’ll land you. 

But faith is always asking: Will you lose your life to find it? Will the joy outweigh the cost? And faith is always promising it will. 

Prayer
Holy one, may my faith be so life-giving that I’m ready to give away anything that isn’t. Amen.

About the Author
Rev. Kate Kennedy is a New Hampshire-based UCC pastor pursuing a career in family therapy.