She's Got Everything

Matthew 6:19-21Amplified Bible (AMP)

19 “Do not store up for yourselves [material] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.

As some of you know my husband and I have been working to become minimalists for about a year now.  We've been slowly trudging through "our" stuff and getting rid of things. Mostly my things. We've been rearranging our lives to start actually thinking about what we have, why we have it, and what purpose it serves.  It made me realize that I had a strong emotional connection to clutter in my life and yet I was not happy.

My favorite movie growing up was The Little Mermaid.  I remember singing the "Part of This World"song over and over again.  My parents bought me the cassette tape and I'd play it over and over. The words started "Look at this stuff. Isn't it neat? wouldn't you say my collections complete? wouldn't you say I'm a girl, girl who has everything?"  It continued to reveal that Ariel wanted more than things in her life she wanted love, she wanted adventure, she wanted to experience something she had never seen before or never been part of.

We can surround ourselves as much as we want with things and with possessions that we feel bring us joy.  However, if you realize that you still feel empty inside your cluttered house perhaps you are longing for more.  I began to realize I'd rather spend money on meaningful things like experiences with my family.  Like investing time into helping my family grow spiritually and closer together. More importantly, it helped me realized that if I had lost everything I would still be okay and God would supply all my needs.  I realized that what I had were not needs but wants. The most important things in life were not bought.  The most important things in life were provided to me by a gracious God who loved me.  The most important things in my life such as my family were God's gift and I could never have done anything to earn them.

When we realize as Christians that we are just "travelers passing through", it makes me think perhaps I should have the bare minimum while I'm down here.  Do we travel light?  What is important for this journey in life? Is it the things we carry on our backs? or the things we carry in our hearts?