Stuff

We spend so much time in our lives accumulating "stuff". Our houses are full of items that we refuse to throw away because of the sentimental value they hold in our lives. Our houses are full of things that we just have to have...the items that catch our eye when we're out shopping and it seems like we could never live without. Our houses are full to the brim with stuff.

What are we going to do with all the stuff?

Tonight we spent the evening at my kids' grandparents house. Since adopting our children, their biological family has become part of our own family. Back in August, their grandfather passed away, leaving a house full of stuff...precious items that were memories from years ago...books that had accumulated dust while on the bookshelves...shells from time spent on the beach...just random items from a lifetime full of happiness.

It is up to his family to pack up his stuff and decide what to do with it all. What a task! Imagine someone going through your own house, deciding what to do with all your precious possessions! I can't imagine the variety of items someone would find going through my own house. I'd imagine they would come across items that I have not used in years...things that I misplaced and thought were lost.

I can't help but wonder why we spend so much time accumulating stuff...when we can't take it with us in the end. I'm just as guilty as anyone else as I have filled my house with items that seem so important. When we have a rummage sale, it is often hard to find things that I feel I could part with. I always wonder..."What if I'll need that someday???"

But life isn't about the things we have...it's about the life we live. What are we doing with the precious gift God has given us? What are we doing to make our life meaningful to the kingdom of God?