Last weekend was the Bridgman city wide garage sale. It’s a big deal here! (I know, small town excitement). There are actual traffic jams and people come from all over to participate. I met one group of women who came from Shipshewana. They come every year and spend the night. I have been saving all year as I would go through things. Being a widow has allowed me to go through Neal’s things after the boys took what they wanted. We had accumulated many things. I had a lot of things in the sale last year and this year I had even more! Where did it all coome from?
So much “stuff.” Have you ever seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul? Nope, because we can’t take our stuff with us. Jesus gave an illustration about a rich man whose farm had produced so well that his barns were full to overflowing. The farmer said he would build bigger barns to store everything. Jesus called him a fool. He warned the people, “Beware! Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:13-21
Covetousness makes you want more and more. It makes you jealous of your neighbor’s new car, or your friend’s bigger house. Commercials on TV tell us we need that new IPhone, or this miracle drug that will help you lose weight, or the vacation in the Bahamas.
In the parable, the farmer’s problem isn’t that he had a great harvest, or that he’s rich, or that he wants to plan a future. The farmer’s problem is that his good fortune caused him to see everything starts and ends with himself. Jesus doesn’t warn against money, wealth or material abundance. He warns against greed, about the feeling of never having enough.
Solomon, the richest king mentioned in the Bible, had any and everything he wanted, and more of it. Yet he found it was all worthless and futile. It did not produce happiness or satisfaction in his life. He said, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth, is never satisfied with his income.” Ecclesiastes 5:10 Solomon’s conclusion in the end was that we are to “fear God, and keep His commandments. For this is the duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13
God gives blessings to us materially so that we can be a blessing to others, not to maintain a luxurious lifestyle to benefit our greed. So, “don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have” Heb. 13:5 MSG.
I have been going through things to simplify and downsize. Try it! Maintenance of our stuff takes time and you have to find a place for them. Donate them to an organization like Goodwill or a safe shelter so others can use them. If you do have a garage sale, think about ways you can use your profits to bless others. Dont buy more stuff! I’m telling myself that as well!
On the journey,
Trish