We recently returned from a cruise and, as we disembarked at Southampton, were struck by the sight of thousands of suit-cases filling the reclaim area. Roughly two cases per passenger means there were thousands of them waiting to be claimed, and ours was somewhere in the middle!
Since then I have been thinking about the vast amount of luggage transported around the world when we travel, and how much we all rely on our possessions – our homes, our cars, our clothes. We collect these things during our lifetime and we are often reluctant to let them go; they become part of our lives, almost a declaration of who we are and what we have achieved.
When life circumstances change – perhaps because of age, infirmity or financial problems – and when some of us may decide to ‘downsize’ to a smaller property, often the hardest thing is to reduce the quantity of our possessions. Furniture, books, and ornaments all contain memories of the past, and it can be hard to let go. Sometimes we look back nostalgically, rather than looking forward to the opportunities of the future.
What is true in our physical world is also true in our minds. We often fill our minds with worries, memories and unimportant ‘stuff’. We sometimes find it difficult to concentrate on the things that matter, because we are pre-occupied by irrelevant clutter, or issues from the past that can’t be changed. In order to live positively, looking forward to the future, we need to ‘de-clutter’ our minds!
The Bible says,
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven … because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
(Matthew 6:19)
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven,”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Jesus’ words are a reminder to us to think carefully every day about what really matters, and to be less preoccupied with unnecessary possessions, thoughts or worries that divert us from living a God-focused life. The writer of Ecclesiastes recognises that there is a time and a place for everything, but today’s activity is not the ultimate purpose of life; it may even hinder us from achieving our real purpose.
The prophet Micah summarised this, showing how God wants us to live, in these few words:
“To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”
(Micah 6:8)
So let’s try to let go of all our unnecessary daily clutter, and focus on being the kind of people he wants us to be: people who reflect God’s own qualities of justice, love and mercy because they stay close to him and to his Son Jesus Christ.
By Colin
