About a week and a half ago, my wife and I took a trip out of state in order to watch our niece graduate from college. Once we got back home, my wife noticed that her car was damaged (no, that’s not our car in the photo). Of course, whoever hit our car didn’t bother to leave a note or contact one of the neighbors.
Due to the location, extent, and shape of the damage, I believe that it was either a garbage truck or delivery truck that hit our car. It was mangled pretty bad on the front, driver-side corner, leaving the headlight and signal light exposed and dangling.
Since it is an old car, we do not have collision coverage on it. If it was just a cosmetic issue, then we would just live with it, but the damage was enough for us to get a traffic ticket while driving (especially with the cops in this state 😡 ), so we had to get it fixed.
Instead of think about how ugly the car now is, or how much money it will take to fix it, my mind immediately focused on God. I have really been thinking lately about the fact that we as Christians should not worry about earthly treasures or possessions. Listen to what Jesus had to say about this topic:
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Matthew 6:19-21
I know not to place any value in my cars or other possessions (I’m working on the laptop, but I’m getting there ;-)), because they are just temporal and can easily be destroyed, stolen, or malfunction – they can also be replaced! I need to place value in the things which matter to God. If I lose some possession, that should not affect my mood or joy at all.
The things which hold my affection, and are valuable to me should be the heavenly treasures which the bible promises to believers. Along the same lines, there is another thought that has been in my heart lately, and it is expressed in Hebrews 11:13-16:
All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.
And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.
My true home is in heaven, and as such, I know that I am not trying to establish an “empire” here. As Christians, our purpose is not to simply amass a ton of riches and possessions in this life, but we are to honor and glorify God in all that we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). That doesn’t mean that we can’t work hard or have wealth, but it does mean that we can’t make it our goal.
Since I am nothing more than an exile and sojourner on this earth, I am content as long as I have enough to sustain me, while I travel to my real home. If I have to drive around in a car that has a huge gash and plenty of dents, then I’m fine with that!
I think I will actually write more about this thought in an organized manner in the future, but I just wanted to get this out there, since this experience really made me reflect on this truth once again.
Oh, here’s the great thing about the car. We took it to our mechanic, and they managed to secure the lights and smooth out the tears and gashes enough so that we don’t cut ourselves when standing next to the car. When we called him to find out how much it would cost us, he let us know that he did it for free! That reinforces God’s promise found in Matthew 6: 25-33
For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
If we focus on God, and not spend so much time worrying how every small detail of our life is going to come together – especially when it regards the basic necessities of life – then God will provide those things for us. Of course, I don’t always expect to get services for free, but it is great to see things work out when we rely on God!
photo by betty x1138
I think this is a great article. Possessions are NOTHING. They don’t matter. What matters is your family, friends, and health. I think one of the hardest ways to learn this lesson (other than losing your possessions due to natural disaster) is to lose a loved one or have them fall very ill. It can be hard to decide what to do, and it can be a financial burden on the spouse, children, or parents. This is a common occurrence among the baby boomer generation. Their parent falls ill, and they are left to pick up the pieces. This is hard because they often don’t know what to do since there are so many choices.
Great post, and a good reminder that a focus on the material possessions distort our view on what is really important in life, whether it’s God, family, friends, doing good works, or leaving a legacy for your children.
Khaleef,
Isn’t it something how God reminds us of those lessons over and over again? I recently bought a “new” van (2000 model) for our vacation and scratched the rear right panel when I drove across a retread tire that had come untreaded. My first thought was, “Oh no! I just scratched up my new van!” But then the Lord reminded me that this car, like any other possession, is simply temporal and, in God’s grand scheme, inconsequential.
Thanks for reinforcing that truth in this post!
Leaving valuables in a car makes your car a prime target for a break in. My friend has a GPS on the dashboard and their car got broken into in a nice affluent neighborhood!
I love this blog post! I volunteer with middle schoolers at my church and think of my possessions in two ways. Those that I wouldn’t mind being destroyed or given away to my girls (clothes, nail polish, movies, my car – spills for example) and those that I can’t handle giving them over (like you, my laptop). And working on the mental shift of giving those “bigger” items over to God. It’s a good exercise for me.
It’s good to constantly look at the big picture – our possessions have no eternal value, and therefore, shouldn’t be that important to us. It’s something that we have to constantly work at.
I started realizing how little some of my possessions meant to me when we started getting all those natural disasters, starting with Hurricane Katrina. People lost EVERYTHING! I was thinking “if a natural disaster came, what would I try to save?” I looked around my room and realized “all I’d want is my family, including my dog”. Computers and gifts didn’t mean much to me as long as my family was okay. I think the only other thing I would try to save is pictures, but with technology nowadays, you can save those, and your files on your computer. It’s not about the iPad or the big screen TV.
I think that is one of the benefits of hard times – it helps us to evaluate how much value we put on things. I feel the same way about the situation – the only thing I would care about is our safety. After that, I would try to recover sentimental items.
Hi Khaleef!
Great work including so much supporting scripture! I can think of so many different times in my life where I’ve stressed over something, whether it’s about a college exam or an unexpected Dr’s bill, and when I finally decided to put it in God’s hands, the issue just seems to resolve itself… We have to keep our focus on Him and He’ll figure out the rest. 🙂 I’ll be looking forward to more on this topic!
Humbly Yours,
The Mayor
I am right there with you. I am trying every day to remember God’s promise to take care of us, but it is a struggle at times.