About the Author

Stephanie Bryant is the co-founder of @incourage and a podcaster at the #JesusLedAdventurePodcast. She owns a Marketing & Business Coaching company. She is passionate about guiding you to your promised land and personal brand therapy. She enjoys spending her days with her husband and their miracle daughter, Gabrielle, on #BryantFamilyFarm....

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
Find more at DaySpring.com
(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. I will apparently be sharing a few tears with you (as they came up this morning when I read your words) . . . a blessing in more ways than one.

  2. Thanks. You used words to express my heart. I’m in a Bible study
    group working on James (with Beth Moore) and we have been
    praying about the Holy Spirit nudging us to activate our faith.
    The heart things we own are “the very things” He wants to use
    to show our faith….and “flesh” it out.
    And these heart things are painful when we “walk” them out.
    But , it is in the living out that we find soul Joy.
    Yes Lord….use us. Amen.

  3. Recently the Holy Spirit has been nudging me to bag up the kids’ outgrown clothes and give them away instead of storing them for the bi-annual consignment sale that I participate in (and in turn, earn the money that we use for Christmas and birthday gifts with.) As a stay at home mom, I always feel a tinge of guilt at not being more productive toward the family budget (I used to make half our income, before the kids were born.) So taking away this little bit of contributing has really been a challenge and I couldn’t take the plunge last fall, even though I am sure it was what the Spirit was directing me to do. However, over the last 6 months, the Spirit has continued to nudge me forward and yesterday I bagged up all my girl clothes and loaded them into the van. I found a family with a little girl who could use them and their thankfulness was a surprising balm to my worry about lost finances. I’ve come to realize that saving the clothes and then having to sort and tag them was becoming a bigger burden on me than I realized, and it may have become an obstacle to the next season of providence that the Lord has in mind for us. Now that I’ve jumped our of the security of MY plans and into His unknown but faithfulness, it doesn’t feel nearly as scary as I thought it would and worry has been replaced with joy and excitement at what comes next now that I’m not fussing about a bunch of outgrown tshirts and shorts.

  4. One of the greatest blessings is to sacrifice something we really love for someone who needs it more than we do.

    I’ve learned that a time or two! 🙂

  5. I wish more people would try this idea. My hubby and I have no problem with ridding ourselves of “outdated, unused or unworn” items. I readily take this stuff to Goodwill or pass them on to others for garage sales, etc.

    I find it exhilerating & liberating to know that someone else may benefit in some small way from something I’m not using anymore or just don’t like.

    Thanks for a great post@

  6. So funny I should read this today, as this weekend is the day I am going to start decluttering and simplifying my house…………… I have been putting it off for so long finding it hard to just do the first thing. Thank you for sharing.
    karen:)

  7. Love love this!!! thnx for sharing such a sweet story! its prompted me to consider what I am holding onto, afraid to relinquish to God’s better plan. Have a blessed day!

  8. What a sweet post, and so brave of you to give up something that you love so much. But it will be put to such better use than sitting unused in a corner of your garage. You’ve done good…

  9. Stephanie, what a beautiful story! I love what you said here about how sometimes the things which Jesus prompts us to do–the hardest things–are often the smallest, the ones that might seem less important to us–it’s the little things that often count so much! Thanks for the great reminder! Blessings!

  10. Love this story! Such a beautiful reflection of your heart. I can’t wait to see how He blesses your obedience of His nudge. The best gifts are ones given out of pure love. Thanks for sharing!!

  11. Years ago I was given my Grandma”s iron bed along with a wooden chest which has been stored for years as we served over seas. Six months ago age and health related issue brought us home to serve stateside.

    Thrifts store, yard sales, generous friends will save tons of money it cost to ship furniture and many items to California from Kentucky. I only wish I had thought about something like you gave your furniture to, As our friend truck pulled away filled with the bed and other things a freedom came into my heart where only a struggle was before. I do not need a bed and chest to remember my Grandmother, mother, uncles, and brothers.

    At 65 we want to give what years are left to people. So it was encouraging to read your post. The one things that overwhelms an over seas missionary when they come home is the amount of “stuff” people have stuffed in some kind of storage, not being used at all. It is a courageous wise hearted woman to do what you have done. I pray souls will come to know the King of the best piece of furniture there is, a throne. Blessing my sister.

  12. I struggle with this as well but in a bit of a different way. I have bins of things that were my moms (who was killed in a car accident 10 years ago). When I look at them I reflect but do I actually need to hang onto them to remember and reflect on Her? Maybe some of these things are things that may bring joy to others as well. Like porcelain dolls from her collection. I have four boys who are not going to be very interested in those. This as well as been something on my mind for some time. You certainly have me thinking but I’m still scared to let go.

    • Shelly I too had a struggle and I am not sure why…did I think I was being disloyal to my family members? Still do not have concrete answer to the “why” of the struggle. Let me know what insight God gives you.

    • I realized after I gave the bedroom suit that the memories I cherished weren’t dependent on having the bed. The bed was only a visible reminder of what I still possess in my mind and heart. After I gave the bed, I had more happy memories to add to the ones I already had. But I truly believe it’s God’s timing for you and whoever needs the item(s). He’ll make it clear.

  13. This is a beautiful story and a wonderful gift. The beauty is behind the sacrifice that you made and the obedience that you had in following through with your prayer. I pray that God will use me in these small yet significant ways in the upcoming months as well. Thank you for sharing this story.

  14. I read this for the first time last month and tucked it away in my inbox. Today my husband held a garage sale and practically gifted everything away. Over the years I have become used to not holding on to things that are not being used, and I get such joy at watching someone else walk away with something I loved to wear or carry around and they are so happy they will own it now. My husbands love for having garage sales twice a year forces me to let go and gift – hands wide open. I always hear God’s voice in the background telling me that none of it matters except holding on to Him.

    So here I am cleaning out emails I had tucked away in my inbox and I came across your post that was posted one month ago to the date, and I wonder what you think of “the canopy” now that you haven’t had it for 30 days.