Our Stuff

In my series of notes on what you can give up for Lent, let me turn to our “stuff.”

My father was a “pack rat.” He kept everything. His desk was filled with old coins, notes, pens, rubber bands, letters, old photos, newspaper articles, address books, diaries—you name it. The garage was the same way, only larger and more extensive. His closet would have been filled with old clothes and shoes had my mother not put her foot down. At his death it fell to me to go through all this. While it was a mostly pleasant task, I marveled at his inability to throw anything away.

I would not call myself a pack rat, but I do have a tendency to accumulate things. It feels harmless, but sometimes I wonder. What does it mean that so much can pile up in my life, even when I don’t mean for it to happen? I think this is true for many of us.

Material goods are a spiritual issue for Christians in the United States. We consume a considerable portion of the world’s resources, and therefore bear some responsibility for how we use our things. During Lent it would be helpful to think about that.

A powerful spiritual exercise would be to do an inventory of your closets, pantry, garage, and other storage spaces. What do you have and how do you use it? How much do you have that you seldom or never use? Are there things you buy that you don’t really need? Do you have things that you should throw away? Do you have things that you should give to someone else?

Honesty on these questions can be tough. As I consider giving away something, there is always a voice in my head that says, “You may need that someday!” Listening to that voice means more stuff will pile up. “Someday” usually never comes.

Why not give up some stuff during Lent? Paring down your accumulation will simplify things, and make you feel better (especially if you can help others by what you give away). But the most important impact will be that you have, to a degree, loosened the grip that our stuff can have on us. Remember: anything that controls your life, even a little, can be an idol. God works in space that we create for him.



Next week I will ask you to consider giving up some of your energy…