A highly successful young man crashed his $100,000 Porsche. When the police arrived, he was walking away from the accident scene in a daze crying: “Oh no, my Porsche, my Porsche, where is my Porsche?” The Police officer said: “Sir, we’ve got to get you to a hospital, your left arm has been cut off in the accident.” To which the young man replied: “Oh no, my Rolex, my Rolex, where is my Rolex?
“As ridiculous as this story sounds, I doubt that it is half as ridiculous as some of the mind games Christians play on themselves when it comes to justifying their possessions. It is neither the cost nor the volume of possessions that I am speaking to (that is none of my business), but the investment of quality time and emotions into stuff that is all going to be burned up one day, anyway.
I believe Jesus summed it up best when he said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt.6:21).
Shopping has long been counted as a form of escape therapy. However, if we wanted to go down that road, we would immediately be in danger of upsetting collectors and hobbyists, too. Again, this is not my concern.
The Kingdom is advancing, and your weapons of warfare involve training. Training that requires discipline in every facet of your life. The things that fill the spaces of ‘that which you call your life’ must be judged in light of your mission for Christ.
Living and working with others can help or hinder your ability to fine-tune your lifestyle to greater service for the Lord. Like the store owner with a clipboard in hand, you may have to itemise everything and decide what needs to stay and what needs to go.
Seeking more with less is a process best discovered in the presence of those who are already doing it. God provides wisdom on request.
John Staiger
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