crazy stuff

I  bought a shirt not too long ago.  It was perfect, exactly what I'd been looking for.  Took it home, wore it  a couple of times and, to my dismay, splattered tomato sauce all over it one day while I was canning.   I put stainwash on it, put it through the washer a few times, and, lo and behold, the stain did not come out.  Bummer.  I hate it when that happens - particularly to clothes that are my favorites. 

Have you ever had that happen to you?  You buy something that's brand new, and, without fail it gets dinged up, or scratched, or it falls in the toilet, or gets stains on it that just won't come out.  Why does that have to happen to all of our stuff?  I don't know about you, but I hate it that most of my stuff,  okay, all of it eventually turns into junk.

The older I get the more I begin to realize something  -  nothing on this earth is going to last forever.  Nothing.  Not my favorite shirt, not our big screen tv, our mixer, our washer, dryer whatever it is that I treasure, none of it will last.  Eventually, even my favorites, are destined to be another big pile of junk in the nearest landfill. 

So why do I bring this up?  Well, I'm glad you asked, because I'll share my thoughts about all of our stuff - the stuff that doesn't last.  Jesus knew a little bit about "stuff".  Knowing that our treasures are important to us, he preached a pretty good sermon on the topic.  But, he didn't tell us to buy a lifetime warranty for our favorite things.  He didn't tell us to stick our treasures in a sealed container.  Nor did he tell us to keep our couches covered, our carpets cleaned, and set 24 four hour surveilance on all of our things.  No, this is what Jesus had to say about all of our worldly goods. 

Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6: 19-20 (NIV)

I guess Jesus did know a thing or two about our stuff.  So what exactly are we supposed to store up?  Treasures in heaven; what are those?    Well, I know it ain't my favorite chair;  pretty sure I won't be taking that to heaven. 

So what lasts?  Here's what I think.  The stuff that lasts are the treasures that are invisible to the human eye.  Want some examples?  The love between a dad and his son.  The sacrifice a soldier makes to defend his country.  The bake sale funds that are donated to a local food bank.  The conversations I have with my mom over the phone.  These are the treasures I should be storing up.  Because all of these have something in common  - they demonstrate the most important treasure of all  - love.

Loving my neighbor, my family, my friends, those are treasures that last.  I can always go out and buy a new shirt, but how many more times will I get  to chat with my mom on the phone?   I could clean the house til it's immaculate, but how many more times will my three year old ask me to play ponies with her.   Those kind words, those deeds that go unnoticed, those memories -  all of them are lasting treasures.  Real ones.  Treasures that you can take to the bank. 

Stuff is nice.  But if you're only storing up treasure on earth, not only will you eventually lose it all, but you'll have missed out on the most important treasures.  The ones that last.