“It is crazy to watch our society try to function in a world where they can’t just go and buy everything their hearts desire. If you take a moment to look around you will see fathers who rationalize working too much to provide their child with unneeded toys and a house that is too large to keep clean without a maid. You will see mothers talk themselves into giving away precious memories that will never be able to return again in order to have the newest items. Marriages that can’t grow because no one is taking the time needed to invest intimately, and a world that is crumbling around us as they look for something that will last. Everything this world offers is temporary and it is high time we start putting our energy and precious commodities into things that are eternal.” (Step by Step 6/19/09)
2 Corinthians 4:18
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
This is not a very easy scripture to follow when it seems every commercial, billboard ad and store we drive by is telling us to give our lives in able to have as many possessions as possible. Please hear me! Most possessions that people buy are not the problem. There is nothing inherently evil about your big screen TV. However, there is something quite sinful about what we are willing to sacrifice to get these things that we “need” and allowing our possessions to distract us from the Lord and His kingdom. The next time you are about to make that purchase or decide that you really have a “need," stop and take a look at what it is going to really cost. I am not referring to the money. I am referring to the time spent away from those we say we love to pay for this purchase, the faith problems that arrive when we take our eyes off of Christ, and the energy spent keeping up with the rat race of new technology, bigger homes, and items to entertain our brains.
Last month, the boys and I had a garage sale where we were able to sell, and pretty much give away, ¼ of our belongings. We then took the rest of our worldly belongings and placed them in a trailer that is being driven across the country to our new residence in Reno, NV. There are a few nice pieces of furniture on board, a wonderfully huge BBQ, clothing, a couple of televisions and then boxes full of the most important items we have. The contents of these boxes are truly the only things that we care about. They are the pictures of our families and friends, love notes from when Melissa and I first started dating, home videos of our boys from when they first began walking and talking, and pictures drawn by our children that say “I love u momi and dadi”. As Melissa and I locked the trailer and drove away, knowing that we would not see our accumulation of stuff for a week, our biggest concern was for our precious memories.
This world is in one of the strangest financial crunches of our lifetime and there are many people looking for hope and searching for answers. Let’s be a witness for our surrounding spectators of godly wisdom and an eternal perspective. This would mean that we invest most of our time and energy into the more important things in this life, such as a daily walk with our Lord and Savior, building strong marriages that will survive the storms that may come, growing children who replicate this style of living and know the God we profess to serve, developing genuine friendships that are built on honesty and trust, and being available to serve the Lord and His purposes when He brings a person or a need across your path.
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