continued from Crazy Love, Part 1
“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15)
I personally own a lot of stuff. If I were to count up every single material possession I own, the list would be extraordinary. It would take several days just to make the list I’m sure.
For example, glancing into my closet just now reveals I own about ten pairs of shoes. Soccer shoes, jogging shoes, three pairs of dress shoes, cowboy boots, hiking boots, sandals, cleats, etc.
I’m sure you’re familiar with the “Parable of the Soils.” In regards to that parable, Chan had this to say:
“I think most American churchgoers are the soil that chokes the seed because of all the thorns. Thorns are anything that distracts us from God. When we want God and a bunch of other stuff, then that means we have thorns in our soil. A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, addictions, or commitments are piled on top of it.
Most of us have too much in our lives. …A lot of things are good by themselves, but all of it together keeps us from living healthy, fruitful lives for God.”
Does the stuff I own weigh me down? Do I own more than I need? Is my stuff really poison to me like Chan suggests? Perhaps, though I think the stuff which requires my time to maintain is more poisonous to me than the possessions which just sit around waiting to be used. Time wasters are real poison.
My biggest time waster is probably computers and the internet. Sometimes I wonder if I should just get rid of my internet connection… (which I eventually did) Thankfully I don’t have a TV.
One thing I do try is to consider my possessions tools that can be used for helping others. Maybe the important thing to strive for is an attitude of contentment, not greed.
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