Stuff

I've been reminded of a difficult lesson recently... one that could've been worse, so I am thankful despite the difficulty. My house was broken into and a few things were stolen. The violation of my privacy is so unfortunate & it certainly is taking me awhile to sleep peacefully. 

The stuff that was stolen belonged to my roommate- it was valuable stuff, but replaceable stuff. She has taught me a valuable lesson by the way she reacted to her stuff being stolen- yes she was scared- but in the end she wasn't that upset. She knew it was just stuff. She knows that people and relationships are more important than things. She placed value on the right "stuff." 

I've learned similar lessons about the real value of stuff over the years- I still have stuff bagged up in my attic from the time I moved to Africa and rented my house to friends. Stuff, that at one time, I needed so badly, paid for and displayed in my home. Now it's collecting dust in my attic. Actually, I don't even remember what most of it is. My car has scratches and dings. My house has marks and stains. My expensive refrigerator's ice dispenser doesn't work, and all those dresses that I bought over the years for dances & parties- they've been given away or get used for Young Life skits (can you say full-sequins prom dress circa 1994?) 

Not to mention the fact that when I lived in Uganda, I had such a small amount of stuff yet I was blissfully happy and satisfied. I lived by a head lamp and without a microwave, no tv, internet, Starbucks or electricity for that matter. I'll say it again. It was a blissful time in my life, without all that stuff.  

When I first started buying my own stuff, I used to hold on so tightly to it all. My house, my car, my clothes. I used to think it was so important because it defined me, made me look good. I liked being in control of all this stuff. I don't know why I thought this way. I never saw this behavior modeled from my parents while growing up. They actually hold on to their stuff more loosely than anyone I know. They are the first ones to loan out their cars, their home, their stuff. 

I guess the world tells you that stuff matters. "The one who dies with the most stuff wins." No, I believe the one who dies with the most stuff dies. After all, they found King Tut's body rotting along with all the things he had hidden in his tomb to take with him after he died. His valuable stuff became decaying stuff.

I think having a lot of stuff increases our need to be in control which gives us a false sense of security. Until that stuff is taken, burned, broken, forgotten. 

So how do we handle all this stuff? Do we hold on tighter? Do we feel guilty because we have more stuff than others? Do we just live without stuff because that's what Jesus did? I think Psalm 24:1 points to the answer: "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it."

This verse is one of the first ones I learned while taking a Crown Financial class (crown.org), and it has been etched in my mind ever since. It is not my stuff. I am simply a steward of God's stuff. This house, it's his. How can I honor Him while I live here? How can I share its space and its comfort with those who are in need? How can I be generous with the "stuff" God has entrusted to me? This car, it's His. How can I serve Him using this car? He has given me these things and He can take them away. Why would I hold on to this stuff so tightly? It's not mine. It has all been created and given and held together by God. 

Remembering Psalm 24:1 helps me to give freely and hold everything that I "own" very loosely, recognizing that God is the giver and owner of all things. So many other scriptures have also pointed me to this mindset and the freedom from juggling all my stuff: 

"Then Jesus said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?" Luke 9:23-25

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." 1 Timothy 6:10 

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."  Colossians 1:17 

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

"God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7

There have been a few books that have also counseled me in this area and have encouraged me to have less stuff and to place less value on stuff: 

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
Freedom of Simplicity by Richard Foster
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoffer  
Shadow of the Almighty by Elisabeth Elliott
Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret by Howard Taylor 
A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliott
Radical by David Platt
Crazy Love by Francis Chan 

I know that this battle between what you own and what owns you is a real one because I fight it everyday as well. May our grip loosen on things and tighten on God. May we remember the value of people over the value of things. May we all remember exactly what it is that makes us toss and turn and scrimp and save; it's just stuff. And may we, with wisdom and open hearts, exchange our plenty of stuff for the peace of Christ. 

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the 

riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:19