Skip to Main Content
Women of the ELCA
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Daily Grace
  • Contact
  • Ministry & Action
    • Discipleship
    • Justice
      • Human Trafficking
      • Racial Justice Advocacy
      • Racial Justice Advocacy Network resources
      • Domestic Violence
    • Membership
    • Stewardship
      • Thankofferings
      • Faithful Friends
      • Katie’s Fund
      • Gift Planning
    • Special Initiatives
      • Raising Up Healthy Women & Girls
      • Dear Friend in Christ
    • Scholarships
      • Lutheran laywomen
      • Lutheran Ordained Ministry
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Events
  • About
    • History
    • Executive Board
    • Staff
    • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Daily Grace
  • Contact
« Back to All Daily Grace

How’s your spiritual health?

10.31.2013
|
Daily Grace

I navigated the packed parking lot and finally found a spot. Feeling pretty good about our family’s paring down, I grabbed our items from the trunk and headed into Goodwill’s designated area for donations. I couldn’t believe what I saw. The donation area was full to overflowing, with more being carried in from every angle. As I got my donation receipt and headed back to my car, I watched people bringing in bags upon boxes filled with the flotsam and jetsam of their lives.

What did all this stuff represent? Was the huge plastic snowman lawn ornament all that was left from a holiday celebration that went sour? Were the elderly woman’s clothes and jewelry cast off after her solitary death, a burden for a family member to discard? Did the books, CDs and DVDs come with unfulfilled dreams?

So many of us lead lives cluttered by far too much stuff, so much stuff that we carry it to Goodwill by the carload. Some of the stuff weighs us down. Some of it gets in the way of healthy relationships. Some of it leads us to the brink of financial ruin. And all of it relates to our core spiritual health.

This is an adaptation of a blog post, “The American season of excess?” written by Linda Post Bushkofsky, that appeared on our blog on November 26, 2010. Today we give thanks to God for the service of Mark Hanson who completes 12 years as presiding bishop of the ELCA.

Share
No Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Sign up for Daily Grace

Daily Grace is an on-the-go companion for your journey, offering a faith reflection every day. Encounter God’s extravagant, boundless and often surprising grace by signing up for a daily email message. You can also download the newly updated app for your IOS and Android devices.

Women of the ELCA
7h
Women of the ELCA
@WomenoftheELCA

Happy birthday, Katharina von Bora Luther! 🎉⭐️🎂 From "A Bold Life of Faith: Katharina von Bora Luther" by Linda Post Bushkofsky, A resource from Women of the ELCA, 2009. womenoftheelca.org/filebin/pd… #KatiesBirthday #2122KatiesFund #KatharinavonBoraLutherwasborntoday #Jan29 pic.twitter.com/fC9yD265al

Expand reply reply retweet retweet favorite favorite
Back to home

8765 W. Higgins Rd.

Chicago IL 60631

800-638-3522

[email protected]

Stay In Touch

Sign up for the WELCA Newsletter

Explore WELCA
  • Ministry & Action
  • Daily Grace
  • Resource Library
  • Events
  • Blog
  • News
  • About WELCA
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Photos
Explore Publications

Bold Cafe

A Lutheran perspective for women of Christian faith or any woman who is interested in how faith relates to the issues facing women today.

Gather Magazine

A mix of articles, theological reflections, devotions and stories of comfort and challenge that help readers grow in faith.

Cafe Podcast

Subscribe to our podcast:

Click to subscribe

© Copyright 2023 Women of the ELCA. All Rights Reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
© Copyright 2023 Women of the ELCA. All Rights Reserved.