Relaxing the Obsession

“ Don't be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, ‘I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you’” (Hebrews 13:5 The Message).

According to a recent article in Florida Today*, people are leaving their stuff everywhere.

Cab drivers find all kinds of items, some very valuable, left behind by fares.

In just two weeks, Denver International Airport collected 74 cell phones and 96 laptops forgotten at security checkpoints. Florida airports report people forgetting their jackets there, perhaps due to the warm weather.

Bowling enthusiasts even forget to reclaim their shoes after an evening of fun at their local bowling alley.

God wants us to enjoy blessings He provides, so I’m not advocating asceticism. But maybe we just have too much stuff.

Why?

Why all the stuff?

Why do we seem to have a constant thirst for more and more?

Could it be that we have forgotten God’s words of assurance that He will never leave us? The Hebrews writer presents the assurance of God’s presence as the solution to the obsession with more. It stands to reason that lacking confidence in God’s presence drives the obsession.

Maybe we ought to leave behind some of our possessions. Intentionally. Purposefully.

Simplify and learn to be content with God.

“O thou who changest not, abide with me.”

What do I need to leave behind?

-- Bob Clark

*Americans Leaving Stuff Everywhere by Tom Breen

6/21/2005