How much is too much? I always ask myself this question while walking down the halls of Wal-mart or any other type of department store. Do I need that? Do I need this? Brian, my husband, and I live in a 600-square foot apartment. To some, this may seem really small, and to be honest, we are looking to relocate soon to another apartment that has more space. Why? Because we have too many items in our apartment right now. To others, a 600-square foot apartment is a lot more space than they could ever wish for. My husband and I were in Hot Chocolatier looking at the Chattanooga magazines they have that sat behind our booth. There are little houses that people have built around 200 square feet. I can’t even begin to imagine decreasing the size of our apartment or sacrificing all the space and living in such close quarters.
When we first moved to Chattanooga from Kentucky, we had minimal materials we had brought with us. There was a time when we were going to move to Texas from Kentucky and had sold a lot of our possessions since all we were going to take with us to Texas was our Jeep and anything we could fit inside it. Now, we didn’t get rid of everything that had filled our 3 bedroom 1 ½ bath house we sold. My parents graciously offered some space in their house to place our belongings we wanted to hold onto until we bought another house or lived closer to decrease our transportation costs of moving our “stuff”.
Could we do without more than half of our “stuff”? In reality the answer to that question is of course YES. Even moving from our apartment we have now and thinking about moving our “stuff” to another apartment, Brian and I are thinking about donating some of the things we have that we never use. Just think of that shirt that has been on that hanger in your closet that you have never worn over the past year. Sometimes I think, I will wear that one day. But, do you think I will? Probably not. Sometimes I think that the item that I don’t use can be used by someone that will enjoy it and wear/use it a whole lot more than I ever did. Why is it sometimes so hard to get rid of our physical possessions? Some of us even pay money to store our items we never use and don’t have space for. Could that money be used for something more meaningful or the items be used by someone who truly needs them?
What do you think God thinks about us holding onto so many of our possessions so tightly without wanting to let go? Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” As I ponder the meaning behind this verse, I consider where my heart is and wondering what possessions can I do without. In reality, we need to really be truly thankful for what God has provided and how we can reach out to those who may be less fortunate than us. For me it might mean getting rid of that shirt that I never wear that is collecting dust on the hanger.
Leah Tucker
Children’s Ministry Assistant