Monday, April 10, 2006

Is More Better?

I go shopping and buy things I didn’t even know I needed until the advertisements arrived in the Sunday paper. There are newsletters telling me how to be “clutter-free”. I am working on it. I am on a mission to “de-stuff” my life. Just what exactly is stuff? It is the non-essential possessions that clutter our houses and our lives.
The world’s philosophy is displayed on the T-shirt that says, “He who dies with the most toys, wins”. Solomon talked of this subject in Ecclesiastes and assured us that we’ll leave it all behind. Like another T-shirt says, “Whoever dies with the most toys still dies”. Is more better? Not necessarily.
The reality is that we leave it all here when we die. Everything from our toothbrush to our money. One woman was buried in her expensive car. Egyptians had make-up, riches, food, and even servants buried with them in hope of being rich in the afterlife. Reality check. Naked you came into the world and naked you go out. It all stays.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. Timothy 6:6,7

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

No, it's not. I remind my mom of that all the time. She's really picky about what she wears and drives. Meanwhile, I shop for some stuff at goodwill and savers. (If it's used it's vintage!)
Anyway, what I really came here for: did you know you have the same last name as Lou Ann Ruiz in The Bean Trees? We're reading it in English and I was like, "I know I've seen that somewhere before!"

Anonymous said...

More is rarely better, unless it's more given to forward God's work. As American Christians, we're apt to pile up stuff we don't need and even unnecessary 'evangelism' stuff, harking back to Suzie's post about 'Christian' clothing and bracelets.

Anonymous said...

Don't let stuff pile up - don't let things go to waste! Give it AWAY!