Stuff

There will come a time when you look around at all the stuff you have and wonder why you have it.

Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ’soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God." - Luke 12:13-21

I am noticing it now, as I am living alone.

We collect things that mean something to us and we hold onto them over the years.  But we don't need them to remember, do we?

And when we are gone, who will want them?

Oh, some things will wind up in a box stored in a garage or attic and they will remain there until they are carted out to see what they contain years down the road, by someone for whom they mean even less.

We hold onto things because we can't hold onto the people we love.

The people aren't in the things.  The memories aren't in them either.  They live on in us.

So, at some point, I will need to declutter, to simplify my life if not for me, then for those who will have to do it when I am gone.

Now, let us look at what the person in the crowd asked of Jesus and what Jesus taught as a result.

Maybe the man went back to his brother and told him about the man with the barn, so his brother could see that he had more than he needed and might share some with his brother.

It is an interesting thought, and why not?  If I was the guy, I would do that.  

What do I have to lose?

More to come...