Our house was still being renovated when the first wave hit and another one is coming! It overwhelmed us and covered everything as far as the eye could see. It was a “tsunami of stuff!” We battled the waves of cardboard and paper as we waited to move to higher ground. The contractors were still working on the 2nd floor of our house, so we had no place to go.
We hadn’t seen this “stuff” in 15 years. The flood of memories slowed our progress as we opened each new box. When these things were packed, our daughter was a single college student, and we were in our 40’s. Now we have a son-in-law, three grandchildren and are approaching 60.
We have to work fast because another “wave” will arrive next week. Hopefully the house will be finished by then and we can handle the six crates of “stuff” we accumulated over the last 15 years.
Though these things bring back memories, we can live without them. My reasoning was tested when many of our treasures were damaged during shipment or while in storage. Some of our precious things were turned into trash. Other items are out of date. A set of cassette tapes of Filipino songs will be thrown out, because we can’t play them. Dozens of computer floppy disks are useless.
Someday we will leave all of this “stuff” behind. Things seem a lot less important as that day approaches. Jesus said, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mat 6: 20 – 21 ESV). My treasure is in Heaven because “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV). My treasure is eternal life!
Wayne Lance (2016)