Satisfied

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15 NIV)

There is something about the freshness of a new year that makes us want to clean up and clear out.  Organize!  You can even see it in Walmart and Target.  Gone are the special toy sections and Christmas decoration isles.  They have been replaced with things to help you organize... containers, shelves, log books and organizing computer software.

The idea of cleaning out closets, drawers and storage rooms can be overwhelming.  We sure do accumulate!  How much of the stuff on the high shelf in your closet do you use often?  Or even yearly?  Could you even name everything that's up there without looking?

There is a Bible study out call "Satisfied" and it is about learning to be content.  It's not about condemning owning a lot of things, but about knowing you don't need those things to make you happy.  One good suggestion they make is to divide your "stuff" into 3 categories:

Things you use often:  your car, a bed, a microwave, a pair of jeans, etc.
Keepsakes:  photos, a piece of china handed down the generations, a yearbook, etc
Everything else:  Stuff you really never use
(I would add another catagory:  Seasonal.  I don't use my Christmas tree often, but I use it once a year!)

The Bible study suggests assigning a percentage to how much of your stuff fits into each category.  For most of us it would go something like this:  Use often-30%   Keepsakes-15%  Everything else-55%.  What would happen if the "everything else" disappeared overnight?  Would you feel a sense of loss?  Or a sense of relief?

I guess it really all boils down to the question:  Why do we have all these things we never use?  Just in case?  In case of what?

The comedian, George Carlin, once said, "A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it.  We place our stuff in the house and leave it there while we go out and get more stuff." hmmmmmm......

If you would like to dig a little deeper into this study, there's more food for thought here: Satisfied

Father,
Help us to be content when we have plenty or when we are in need.  All we really need is you.  Amen.