Enough is Enough

It was on our second load of the U-Haul—the biggest truck they rent—that I had a sobering realization. As I loaded box after box, I started thinking about how the last time I had seen many of these things was the day after I moved into the house I was now leaving. 

It felt like we needed a separate truck or trailer for every room of the house, and this was the biggest house we’d lived in. As you can imagine, a lot of the things I had now moved out of the house would not fit into the next house. We had so much that we not only rented a storage unit, but filled it from floor to ceiling. The first time my wife opened it to find something, she said, “Forget about it; this gives me anxiety just looking at this.” 

Unloading the moving truck was frustrating enough, but it was when I was unloading the storage unit that the thought actually crossed my mind. Most, if not all, of what was left in that storage unit was junk that we had not used in years. Probably 85% of the things in that storage unit I could've thrown in a dumpster, and neither of us would have ever noticed it was gone. As my wife’s cousin and I emptied the storage unit I paid for every month to store our own clutter, three questions kept running through my mind: 

• Where did all the stuff come from? 

• Why do I still have it? 

• And how can I get rid of it?

None of the things in my storage unit were purchased or given to me with the intention that they would have to be sorted into a category that ultimately led me to get rid of them. 

The common thread that runs through virtually every advertisement is the true thing they're trying to sell you: hope.

I honestly don't remember looking at anything and thinking about how it was a splurge purchase or something bought out of ill will or bad decision-making. In fact, most of my clutter was originally brought in for one of a few reasons. Some of the things I looked at held emotional ties to my past; others were bought for a specific purpose during a season of life we were no longer in. Some were brought in hoping they would help our family grow together in one way or another. What I didn't realize then was that even though many of these things were helpful or well-intentioned, they actually represented misplaced hope or faith. 

We see hundreds, if not thousands, of advertisements every day, trying to entice us to purchase products or services that could improve our lives. Maybe some of them will; many of them won't. But the common thread that runs through virtually every advertisement is the true thing they're trying to sell you: hope. That could be hope that it will improve how we see ourselves, hope that it will simplify our day-to-day lives, hope that people will see us more favorably, or hope that we will feel more secure in who we are.

Putting our hope and faith in the possessions we own will not only fail to deliver but also drain away our joy, peace, and, in most cases, the most valuable resource we have – time.

That begs the question: If our hope doesn't belong in our possessions, where does it belong?

Our problem isn't that we lack hope. The problem is that we often place our hope in the wrong things. In Scripture, Jesus repeatedly warned His listeners that the things of this world have a way of taking too high a position on our priority list. Many times, Jesus taught about the dangers of loving the things of this world more than we love the God who created them.

In the Parable of the Sower, some of the seed falls among thorns. As it begins to grow, the thorns grow alongside it and choke out the fruit that was intended for harvest. Jesus never said the plant that was planted among the thorns died. Instead, the fruit that was intended for harvest was never able to fully develop because the thorns were competing for the same resources as the crop.

In case there is any misunderstanding, Jesus goes on to explain the parable very directly (Luke 8:14). If people focus on and worry about the things that culture says will bring them pleasure, they will never produce mature spiritual fruit.

In the same way, many of the things we collect begin to choke out our desire for a deeper relationship with Jesus. What happened in the Parable of the Sower is something that happens to most people I know living in Western culture.

Many of the things we gather and collect over time are not bad in and of themselves. Many are helpful for a season, purchased with good intentions, or provide real value in our lives. We genuinely intended to read all the books lying around our houses. We bought all the toys that now cause our toy boxes to overflow because we wanted our kids to enjoy them—and they did, for a time. Those extra pots and pans helped us prepare meals our families enjoyed. The extracurricular activities our kids participate in teach valuable lessons about teamwork, discipline, and perseverance. Even the extra money in our savings account may have started as a wise way to prepare for emergencies.

Then, slowly, something begins to change.

We realize we aren't reading our Bibles as much as we used to. Our calendars become too full to participate in the life of the church alongside our spiritual family. We tell others—and even ourselves—that we still love Jesus, but deep down we know our lives don't always reflect that reality. As those other things begin to grow, the time we have to invest in the things of God begins to shrink. Before we realize it, our spiritual lives are being choked by things we began to pursue or collect with good intentions.

While Scripture tells us it is good to enjoy the gifts God gives us (1 Timothy 6:17), it also warns us not to love the things of this world (1 John 2:15–17). The Bible also reminds us that where we invest our time, energy, and money reveals where our heart truly is (Matthew 6:21).

Moving away from the things that fill our garages, crowd our calendars, and drain our bank accounts is about more than simply checking boxes and emptying rooms. As we begin to declutter the ordinary parts of our lives, we begin to see how easily our hearts can drift away from the Savior who loves us.

Many things in this world aren't inherently bad. But when they begin to take up time and space we should be using for God’s kingdom, they can become spiritually dangerous in a hurry.

As Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

Many things in this world aren't inherently bad. But when they begin to take up time and space we should be using for God’s kingdom, they can become spiritually dangerous in a hurry.

God graciously blesses us with more than we could ever deserve. Everything God gives us should be accepted with gratitude and enjoyed. However, if we begin to believe that our joy comes from the possession, and we become more grateful for the possession than the Giver, we lose sight of why it was given to us in the first place.

If you're reading this and you have a storage unit or garage full of clutter, don't panic. The good news is that you're not the only one struggling with this. As I write this, I am sitting in a room looking at multiple piles of things that I still need to sort through and get rid of.

But now, I've begun to understand that all of the things cluttering my life are simply that—things. They're not the God who created me. They're not the Savior who redeemed me. Virtually none of the things I'm looking at will last forever. They were things I was given to use; they were never meant to carry eternal weight.

That's a good thing.

As I've begun to remove many of these possessions from my life, I've been amazed by how much anxiety and stress have been relieved. There's something about walking through an uncrowded room or seeing a wall with some empty space that brings a sense of peace to my life. Having fewer things demanding my attention in my physical surroundings allows me to refocus my eyes and heart on the things that really matter.

So, how do we live this out?

1. Don't throw everything away. Some of the things you currently have, you actually need. You need silverware and dishes to eat the food that helps you survive. The generator in your garage is OK to keep around for when that storm inevitably comes through town. You need to wear clothes every day. Please do.

   
   

   But if you're like me, you probably tend to keep duplicates and lots of extras of basically everything you own. It's probably time to part ways with some of those things. Having enough is enough. We don't need to keep tons of extras just because we have the space for them.

   
   

2. Prayerfully discern which possessions you actually need. 

   What I need for my everyday life is almost definitely not exactly what you need for yours. Spend time in prayer, asking God to reveal where your heart and priorities need to be. Then sort through your clutter accordingly.

   
   

3. Think Before You Buy

   Too often, when we buy something, we're only thinking about the one time we'll use it or the pleasure it will give us for the next 24 hours. We need to understand that bringing things into our lives costs us more than just money. It also costs us time, energy, and physical space.

   
   

   Two questions I've begun to ask myself before making a purchase are:

   
   

   1. Will I be more satisfied six months from now if I own this?

   2. Will this purchase improve my family's situation in any way—spiritually, financially, emotionally, or organizationally?

   
   

   These questions have drastically changed the way I think about adding new things to my life.

Enjoy what God gives you, but enjoy God first and foremost.

God gives us possessions and tools to help sustain us and for us to enjoy. But the greatest tool God uses to accomplish His plans on earth isn't our worldly possessions. It's the people He created to reflect His image and carry out His purposes.

Stewarding our possessions well is one practical way we can live this out. Don't fall into the trap that Satan and our culture have set for us by believing that more things will ultimately bring more satisfaction.

Enjoy what God gives you, but enjoy God first and foremost.

*This article was inspired by Uncluttered Faith. Read the full book review here.

Christian perspective on possessions