The other day I ran across a TV show called “Clean House”. The premise of the show was to find an incredibly messy home and have the “experts” come in and clean it up. Since I love before and after pictures I watched to see the final transformative result. Yes, it was amazing; they had changed a literal dump into a beautiful, clean and organized home.Stuff can weigh us down. In fact, it can prevent us from accomplishing our true life work in the world. It doesn’t really matter if it’s nice stuff or crummy stuff, if it clutters up your life or ties up your energy in any way, you might be better off with a little less of it.
During disasters, when people lose everything, they find out that they only have themselves left. Sometimes, this is not enough. It is tragic to lose one’s home, but even more tragic to lose a loved one. It is devastating to lose all of one’s earthly possessions, but it is even more tragic if one discovers that one doesn't want to live without their things.
We can easily over-identify with our stuff. Our popular media bombards us with the notion that if we own this or that thing, that we will be a bigger, more interesting person.
The issue of stuff, however, isn’t limited to what we spend our money on. Free stuff can be a problem, also. The stacks of mail that come every day can turn into a mountain if not taken care of. Things that you can pick up for free can end up cluttering garages and closets. Just because you didn’t spend any money on something doesn’t mean that it’s not costing you something.
In reality, everything costs us something and this is the real issue. The question becomes, “What does my stuff cost me?” “Is it worth the price?” If you are spending too much time paying for it, cleaning it, caring for it, stepping around it, or worrying about it, the price may be too high. The price is too high when it prevents us from spending our time, energy, and money fulfilling our true purpose in life. If we cannot do what we are here to do and be who we are here to be, then we have paid too much for our stuff.
The couple in the TV show had a grandchild that was unable to safely be in their home until it was cleaned up. By parting with many of the things that thought they couldn’t live without, they created space for the truly important and valuable in their lives. Don’t let your stuff prevent you from experiencing the best life has to offer. Nothing you own could be worth the loss of living life to your fullest.
The things of lasting value are always spiritual in nature. They have lasting value that no one can take from us. No natural disaster can destroy joy, peace, and love. It reminds me of the wise words of Jesus when he counsels, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them, rust destroys, and thieves steal. But store up heavenly treasures for wherever your treasure is—your heart will be, also”.
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