Start Unpacking Your Stuff

You know the expression “you can’t take it with you,” or in Bible-speak, “For we have brought nothing into the world, and so we cannot take anything out of it” (1 Tim 6:7). Several years ago, when my parents turned 80, I was grateful when they started getting rid of ‘stuff’ because later it made it easier to move them out of the house they had lived in for 20 years.

Isn’t it amazing how much stuff we accumulate over a lifetime? We may say “this world is not my home” but our garages and attics (and rented storage lockers) tell a different story. I think how much stuff we have is related to how much we value our stuff.

I remember when I travelled around the world years ago. I stored all my stuff with friends, taking only a backpack. One day I got tired of walking all over India with a heavy backpack, so I downsized and bought a knapsack. Sometime after that, my knapsack was stolen. Then I had no stuff. I purchased another knapsack and bought more stuff.  A month later, I forgot it on a train platform. Once again, no stuff. I came to realize how little value there was in my stuff. When I got home two years later, I couldn't even remember what stuff I had stored with my friends. But alas, since then I've acquired more stuff.  Maybe it's time to start unpacking. “Don't store up treasures here on earth... Store your treasures in heaven...wherever your stuff is, you'll find your heart” (Matt. 6:19-21).