I’ve come to the realization that it’s often hard to admit or acknowledge that God owns everything that we possess. He is not only the owner of all things, but he is also the giver of all things. He has given us the abilities and talents that have helped us achieve everything that we have, yet so often we take pride in it instead of being grateful. We start to believe that WE achieved everything by our efforts, therefore what we have is ours and that WE get to choose how to use that money. Oftentimes that money is used on things that we believe are going to give us the most satisfaction, fame, status, power, etc. Leading us to forget that God is the one who granted us our talents, gifts, wisdom, and mind. Everything that we have belongs to HIM and it’s our choice to respond with grateful hearts or not. It’s our choice to value all of our belongings and take care of them knowing where they ultimately came from.
With that in mind, I wanted to invite you all into the way that God has transformed my attitude towards the way that I value my possessions. To start off, I believe that nothing in the entire world should be seen or valued higher than God. I believe everything on Earth is put into our lives for a purpose. Whether it is to help us, serve us, comfort us, or excite us. Whether it is good or bad, we should always be grateful for what God is doing with the things around us to help us grow.
Another thing I’ve come to realize is that humans tend to steward up more than we need, because we believe that having more will lead to more fulfillment. We have so much stuff that it all tends to lose it’s value as being a gift from God. We start to treat it as junk and forget about it, not even thinking that the 40 shirts that we haven’t worn in 10 years could have been serving other people. Which is why I have come to believe that if we do not use ALL of the things that we have, then we should give it away. Maybe it can be of value to someone else in the season of life that they are in. If it’s not serving us, it can be serving someone else. Maybe the 25 markers that have been sitting in your drawer for years can bring joy to a child whose mother has not been able to afford any for her child.
Although, I get it! I understand why we keep the things that we don’t always use everyday. We keep it because we think that maybe one day we will need it. But I believe that FAITH and TRUST in God is also knowing that if you let things go that you are not valuing in a specific season, then you can trust that God will provide you with what you need when a new season of life comes along. Trusting that God will provide for you in whatever season of life that you are in will help you believe that he really does provide for us and has the potential to give us something even greater than whatever we have been hoarding at home.
The possessions that we have should be stewarded well, for they are HIS. We should treat them extremely well and be so very grateful. Next time you spend money, think of how you are stewarding it. Is it for your own satisfaction or is it helping the kingdom? Ponder on that question and start looking at everything that you own in a new light. Remember, everything that you have, even your body belongs to HIM! Thank you Jesus. Help us be more grateful and trustworthy that you will provide for us if we let go of the things that are not serving us in this season of life. Help us to serve those around us by letting go of the possessions that we see of no value.