It's Just Stuff

What is the point of these 7o-some years we are given on this earth? Is it to be wealthy? To gain power? To help others? To have a good time? Most Christians would dutifully say that the reason we are here is to glorify God. These people would give that answer because they know it's the right answer. However, just saying the right answer doesn't mean you believe it or live it. Unfortunately, most of us (myself included) have our focus on the wrong thing to often, forgetting to glorify God.

Today I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon assisting a friend whose family was affected by the tornadoes over the weekend. When I arrived I was struck by the sheer magnitude of the destruction. The house was leveled. Debris was literally everywhere. I have never seen such a display of pure power before. Cars on their roofs. Appliances literally peeled apart. Bicycles twisted into ridiculous shapes. Trees completely stripped of their bark in a way that could never be reproduced by man.

The main thing that I kept mulling over as I searched the debris was that at some point, every one of those demolished items in that area was purchased by someone. The game Apples to Apples that was purchased as a Christmas present and is now scattered throughout the woods. That bicycle that was part of a New Year's resolution to get fit and now it's a jumbled mass of metal never to be ridden again. The favorite sweater that received so many compliments is now hanging 30 feet up in a tree.

How often do we put our focus on things? Stuff we just HAVE TO HAVE. If I can just get "this" I'll be happy. If I can just make X amount of dollars per year we'll be comfortable. If I can just have a large, flat screen TV I'll be satisfied. The fact is, as long as we're trying to fill our lives with stuff, we'll never be satisfied.

Satisfaction can only come from God. We're designed that way. God knew we'd be tempted to worship the things we can posess, so He made it impossible for those things to ever satisfy us. Only by having a right relationship with Christ can we ever be truly satisfied.

The title of this posting is "It's Just Stuff." That was my mom's favorite phrase when someone would get caught up with purchasing something or obsessing over something lost (usually after she threw it away). The more I think about her words, the more I realize her wisdom. You may have the nicest stuff in the world right now, but someday that iPad is going in the garbage. Someday your Rolex will stop ticking and it will be sold for scrap. Someday your Lexus will live in a junkyard managed by a man named Rusty.

The only thing that is eternal is your soul and the souls of those around you. I know I've ignored the souls of others around me for too long. But not anymore. Don't get me wrong, I like stuff. Stuff is fun. Stuff makes life easier. But when I die, I can't take my stuff with me.

However, I don't plan on going empty-handed. I have a lot of work to do...