Luke 12:15
Speaking to the people, he went on, "Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot."
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Few among us have not heard of the new reality TV shows that feature “hoarders” – people who have some sort of mental or psychological disconnect that causes them to be unable to part with anything… even garbage. Others continually acquire material possessions… or even pets. And recently, a new show has featured people who use discount coupons to save hundreds of dollars on groceries and other items… but many of them become “hoarders” of sorts, accumulating storage rooms filled with items they don’t even want or use, all because they were “free."
I will be the first to admit that I have too much “stuff”. I have far more clothes than I can wear. I tend to stockpile a few staples and paper goods in the pantry. Everyone knows I love antiques and old things… and my laundry room and closets attest to this. I have mundane collections… from books to nativity sets… and like most people, a fair share of “junk” I just can’t seem to part with.
But I have honestly come to a point in my life where I feel my “stuff” does not define me. I could get rid of most of it tomorrow and be just fine. Maybe I’ve cleaned out one too many drawer at my grandmother’s or gone to enough estate auctions to see that it’s just stuff, and you can’t take it all with you! I stood at an estate auction recently and looked at items being sold for pennies on the dollar and thought, “Yesterday, those things were important and valuable to the person who owned them. Today, they are being auctioned off to the highest bidder.”
Greed is caused by a number of things… deep-seated psychological needs, a mental disconnect, something that happened in one’s past, a strong desire for control, and more. But at the very core, I believe that greed is borne out of a spiritual lack. We are trying to fill up an emptiness within us that only God can fill… but many of us don’t know that He is what we really need. Once we learn to focus on God and the things He desires for us… to spend our time serving Him and living in His presence, our wealth and belongings are not nearly as important… or at least they shouldn’t be!
I stood recently at the cemetery and looked at a large brass box that contained my cousin’s ashes. I thought about my own life and how someday I, too, will be reduced to a box like that. What will be my legacy? Will my “stuff” matter then? Will people talk at my funeral about what a nice car I drove or the house in which I lived? Will they say, “She had nice stuff!” Or will they talk about how I lived… who I loved… how I served my LORD? I pray that I would never be defined by what I have. I pray that we would all learn to value relationships and the things of God more than material wealth.
What about you? What is valuable to you? Are you greedy… a hoarder… defined by your “stuff?” Or are you focused on what really matters? Ask God to help you de-clutter your life and focus on serving Him. Call on Him to give you the wisdom and courage to “clean out the closets” of your life and lay down the baggage. Learn to really live… free and unencumbered. Fill up on God – not things… and see how blessed your life can truly be.
©2011 Debbie Robus
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