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Listen while you read: "Rejoice The Lord Is King"1
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2 Corinthians 4:18b – For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. (NLT)
Every afternoon when I walked into the house, things had disappeared. Our possessions shrank by the day.
Well … not really. We were moving, and my wife was doing most of the packing while I taught school during the day. Since I didn't see all that she packed, it appeared as if the things in our small patio townhouse — and the home itself — diminished daily.
But in the process, I discovered something else. Although I had enjoyed all the things that she packed away, I could live without them. They were not items that I must have to survive: food, shelter, clothing. In fact, I didn't miss some of the things at all and probably didn't until my wife unpacked them at our new home.
Over the years, through all our moves, we've left some things packed up. At a later move, we unboxed them to discover that we had forgotten that we even had those items. The old saying, "Out of sight, out of mind", holds.
When I was young, I held things closely and relationships a little more loosely. But as I've aged, I realize that I have put too much stock in things. I've now learned to hold people closely and things loosely. People may sometimes disappoint us, but things will always let us down in the end because of their temporary nature. Items may have aesthetic, financial, or sentimental value but are never worth more than people. Even when they possess family value, the thing is never more important than the person. If the person has died, the things left behind merely remind us of the person and give us sweet memories.
I now want to open my hand and pass things along instead of clinging to them. Every Christmas — and sometimes in between — I pass a family heirloom to my children and grandchildren. I also tell them the story of the person from whom it came and anything else that I know about it.
Even the finest things deteriorate. They can also be lost or stolen. People are of eternal worth because God made them in His image. Jesus said to love Him above all else and then our neighbours as ourselves. Relationships: that's what life is about. They are a part of the treasure that we store in heaven.
The most important thing that we cannot see is the relationship that we build with God through our faith journey. We can enjoy the things that God allows us to have, but we must remember that we won't take them into eternity. One by one, like the belongings that my wife packed, they will vanish. Only what we have built with God and others will follow us into our eternal abode.
How can you remember the temporary nature of things so that you can put your focus in the right place?
Prayer: Father, help us to hold things loosely and You and people tightly. Amen.
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About the author:
Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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Amen Martin.
True words. Thanks Martin.
A very powerful message today. Thank you so much. Be blessed.
Thank you, Martin, for this devotional to start the day, comforting. Blessings.
Thank you, Martin. I, too, as I age, find that things are not so important, and it feels good to get rid of them.
Hi Martin, your devotional today contained very important truths to ponder and adhere to. Thank you for sharing.
Amen, Martin. The older we get the more we realize that we don’t need stuff! and we can’t take it with us. Blessings.
Thank you, Martin, for that wonderful reminder.
May God bless you as you continue to inspire us with your writing.
Well said, Martin. We are in the “letting go” stage…every word you wrote resonated with me.
Thank you.
Very good advice for those of us who are facing downsizing in our lives!
Let it go…
Blessings.
Dear Martin,
Thank you for today’s devotional and also for reminding us about what is important in life.
So true, Martin! Downsizing ourselves has caused us to reevaluate the treasures we so lovingly put away years ago, have lost their value. The treasures we laid away in heaven still gleam with newness.
I needed this reading as I hate parting with things and am having such difficulty doing so. Perhaps it’s because I am the last one in my family of origin and each item keeps alive the memories of those who have gone on before.
Hello Martin
Thank you, this is so true what you have shared. It is liberating in a way when you give things away and so comforting when you hold people close.
God bless.
Thanks, Martin, for another of your “right on” devotional writings. Yes, we can so easily be distracted and focus on unimportant things rather than to centre our thoughts and cares on people around us and more importantly to focus on the Lord’s ways and words. Blessings for writing.
I’m in the midst of downsizing. My husband died last year and our townhouse is just too much for me. I am amazed at all the “things” that I am getting rid of. My children are helping me. We come across something that stirs memories, either happy or sad; we talk about them then let them go. We have “things” stored in our hearts, not in boxes.
Once again, you’ve touched me through your Daily Devotional.
Our minister is doing a study on denominations.
One of the suggestions on the handout we got at the end of the Service was “Declutter: but don’t REclutter.”
Thanks, Martin, blessings.
Amen and amen. This morning’s news reported on a massive explosion and fire that totally demolished a home instantly killing two people…a man and a woman. Emergency responders are cleaning up and dousing fires…all underscoring the point of today’s devotional. My mother often quoted the saying, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” Things can vanish in the blink of an eye, but what’s done for others has a lasting impact. Thanks for sharing this encouraging devotional with us. Blessings.