Christian Hoarders (Lauren Guyot)

Here recently I have watched some documentaries on HOADERS. I became interested in this subject due to how interesting it was to see people live their lives. As I watched these documentaries it made me think about “Christian Hoarders”. “Compulsive Hoarding is a mental disorder marked by an obsessive need to acquire and keep things, even if the items are worthless, hazardous, or unsanitary. More than 3 Million people are compulsive hoarders.”

We as Christians are so good at hiding what we don’t want people to see. Just as “worldly hoarders” they are ashamed to be known as a hoarder. But the difference between Christian and worldly hoarders is the Worldly hoarders are not always ashamed of what they do. It’s a mental disorder and it most of the time does not phase them at all. They say things such as: even though this food has been expired for years it’s still good, or they hoard animals because they view them as their children. One of the episodes I watch had a story about an elderly man and woman who had over 100 plus cats. They only to their knowledge thought they had 30 cats. When the animal control came they found over 76 cats and only 40 of them were alive. These people were living in their home that was not only piled high to the ceiling with garbage, but had dead cat skeletons as well.

As I started looking into my own life, I questioned what is it that I hoard. Is it possible that I really am a hoarder? Do I keep ungodly things in my life that causes me not to have a deeper relationship with the Lord? See when “worldly hoarders” keep there things, they not only affect their lives by being unsanitary, but it hurts the relationships of others in there homes and lives. People don’t want to be around people who keep garbage and dirty laundry lying out. Making the house smell and rodents around, they want to be able to enjoy and feel welcomed in your home. Does your hoardering cause lives around you to be affected by it? Can you not allow people into your life because you have dirty little secrets, even though God sees everything? You still wake up on Sunday mornings and go to church, smile and act like nothings wrong. You have this “perfect Christian life” and on the inside you know it’s not true. There are things you do that are “worthless, hazardous, or unsanitary”. Romans 12:1 say’s I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. We must remember that Holiness does not start on the outside, but on the inside. I want people to look at me and see the good, not the bad. What’s on the inside will show! If I want to develop a closer more in depth relationship with God, I must be the one to clean this temple up and make it a pure one. Ephesians 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

A lady once told me that God can’t take your hands half full; He wants your empty hands. Lets empty out the junk in our lives, release it all to God so that one day we can be presented to Him as a glorious church!