STUFF

Rusty Weathered Barn---Columbus, OH

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” --Matthew 6:19-21

"A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. From the perspective of an airplane, you can see hundreds of little piles of stuff, neatly arranged in rows. When you leave home, you have to lock up your house so that people won’t take your stuff while you go out to get more stuff. If thieves do break in, have you noticed that they only take the GOOD stuff? They never take all that other stuff that you’re saving for no good reason. Sometimes you gotta leave and get a bigger house because you need more room for your stuff. When we go on vacation, we pack up and take a smaller version of our stuff, which is all we basically need."
--George Carlin, A Place for My Stuff

Our culture tells us that our lives consist in the abundance of our possessions and pleasurable experiences. And yet, if we are honest with ourselves, most times the pleasure of acquiring stuff lasts about as long as it takes to remove the price tags And then we’re off to other pursuits which the medias' relentless bombardment of ads assures us we have to acquire.

Life is a gift, and everything belongs to God. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it (Psalm 24:1).” We do not inherit the earth from our parents. Rather, we borrow it from our grandchildren and God. God freely blesses us and expects us to take care of our needs and our children. He wants us to enjoy life, but not only focus on ourselves. And when we help others by returning a portion of our livelihood, we are blessed. Sharing with others is a great cure!

We oftentimes reach a crossroads in life where our material demands and our spiritual growth are intersecting! We can maintain our momentum as long as we continue to align our time, talents and treasures (our will) with our best view of God’s will.