Don't you just love a new purse?  I just got a new one.

It's not just a great new accessory, although that is a nice part, it's the possibilities that it symbolizes.   Not that I'm all into symbolism, but you get my meaning, right?

  I just love it when I pull out all the tissue paper and look inside.  It's clean, neat, and ready to help me be that organized, together kind of girl I really want to be.  The pockets are flat, zipped up and ready to serve.  The more pockets the better.  I love that the newer bags have a zippered pocket on one side, the non-zipper pockets on the other.  I think these are for a PDA and a cell phone.  I have a cell, but not a PDA.  I use the PDA pocket for flat stuff (business cards, etc), at least in the beginning. 

The first few days of that new purse is so wonderful and light weight.  I've streamed lined all the junk  garbage non-essential items from my old bag.  Over the course of time, I accumulated 12 ink pens in all shapes and sizes, 5 high lighters in various colors, several mechanical pencils, and an assortment of post it notes (need all colors, you never know when you may need to post it in a specific color).  That's just the writing stuff.

Then there's the other junk , stuff, oh, it's just junk.  The receipts that seem to accumulate in the darkest corners of my purse.  I'm just sure that I'll never need the receipt for a Diet Sunkist and a Snickers (and before you ask, I save calories with the Diet Sunkist that I quickly consume in the Snickers. It's a good trade in my opinion.)  Then there's the other receipts, like the ones for mustard, a bag of ice, pasta, and grapes.  Why did I keep that one?  Another one of those “Who Knows?”  questions.  I don't remember what this list was about, and I'm almost afraid to find out.

There's also the strange items that take up residence in your purse.  Why do I have bottle caps?  Not the “Look you've won” caps, just caps.  No bottle. 

What's with the spool of thread?  Trust me, if I have a hem come out, I'll tape it up, staple it up, or create a new look with paper clips, but I'm not likely to stitch that baby up if there's an easier way to go.

Then there's the stuff that I need:

reading glasses (much needed on those low light days, which have nothing to do with the light level and everything to do with me),

travel toothpicks — who knows when the mood to pick your teeth just might strke

Lighter — I don't smoke, but I may need to light a candle … I guess . . .

Phone headset — never used it but you never know when the mood just might strike and I need to listen to my phone music via headset immediately.

Tide to Go pen and Shout wipes — I'm messy, what can I say.  But I always forget I have these and have to live with the stains, but I'll keep hauling this stuff around.

Change — I keep enough change to buy groceries for a week and pay entirely in coins.  Never know when you may need $12 in change, right?

Hand sanitizer — I have the mini bottle, maxi bottle and the spray, now of which I can ever find in my purse.

Powder – I need to look good, enough said?

Lipstick — stops me from looking like I died last week

Hairspray (mini can) — need to tame the beast — often.

Notebook – need this for writing down all those incredibly creative ideas that hit me at odd moments

Post it notes — of course!  You never know when you might need to post a post it note

But I streamline as I load up the new purse.  I only want a few things, but what can I leave out? 

Hand santizer — I'll just stop touching people and stuff, maybe I'll take up wearing gloves.

Stain remover stuff — seriously, do you think I use this stuff.  I just stain my clothes and put a pin over it (decorative, safety, whatever works). 

Reading glasses — okay, I don't really need to read stuff that much.  All I'm usually reading is a menu or the back of a food package.  I don't need to know that there are 14 grams of fat in a half cup of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and when I'm at a restaurant, I can  just point at the pretty pictures.

 Hairspray — I'll just spray the heck out of it and be done with it.  Can we say helmet hair?

Change — drink machines take bills and almost everyone takes my debit card (daughter included)

Toothpicks — a business card works in a pinch

Ligther — gone, if I need fire that bad I'll call up a boy scout

Headset — gone

Notebook — I'll just hold those creative thoughts or write them on the post its

Now, I have it the new streamlined purse.  It's light weight, it's without all the junk that bogs it down.  All that non essential stuff.  It's easy to carry, easy to find stuff in and I feel so organized. 

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could do this with our lives?  Just cut out all the junk that weights us down and keep only the essential stuff.  We could hold on to our life in Christ, focus on our faith, leave in the Bible study, drop off the ball park concession stand committee (how'd I get on that one anyway), dump the stuff that bogs us down. 

 When you pick  up your purse next time think about your life — is your walk with the Lord what it should be?  Are you spending time with Him each day? Are you seeking His face?  Calling out His name? 

Or are you bogged down — like an over weighted purse.  Is your life full of receipts, bottle caps, safety pins, and paper clips — all that nonessential junk that keeps you busy digging through your life for the good stuff.

 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.  Colossians 2:6

 Make room for the Lord — overflow with thankfulness, not stuff.