Storage Units

Over the past few months I’ve noticed something while driving around town. There are tons of storage units being built. Are we going to be overrun with storage buildings like we are currently with the abundance of mattress stores? You know what I mean. In every major city there are multiple mattress stores in one shopping center.  Why do we need 4 mattress stores within a one mile radius?! But I digress…

Back to the point. Why are we building these storage units? Do we really own that much stuff? Pinterest, Target and Hobby Lobby tell us that in order to be a good homeowner you should have a house full of new decorations not just every season but for every month! Back to school decor,Halloween, Fall, Christmas, New Years, Winter, Valentines, Spring, Easter, etc. etc. Not to mention the excess number of apps, gizmos, photos and videos we have on our phones. Every other day I get a message on my phone saying “storage full.” We are inundated with more stuff, more materials, more gadgets, more, more, more.

Now, don’t get me wrong, material possessions are not bad. Even a lot of material possessions are not bad. What turns the table is the condition of the heart around the stuff. Our culture puts more value in the things that we own more than in the people we are.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but 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”  Matthew 6:19-21

There is so much clutter: in our homes (hence the storage units), in our email inboxes, in our social media feeds, in our minds. Sometimes it’s hard to focus on one thing because there are so many things vying for our attention. I can see the appeal of a minimalist lifestyle. How easy would that make things? No TV, only a handful of outfits, no decorations, eating the same things every day. But those extremes don’t seem realistic.

So for now, I am choosing to make sure the treasures of my heart are in the right place. Am I putting more value in the possessions in my home or the people in it? What if all my things were all gone tomorrow? Am I focusing on building up my wealth on earth, or focusing on eternal gains?

As Christians, we are called to not get too comfortable in this world, for we know something better is coming. My prayer is that my focus shifts more toward kingdom advances, rather than personal advances. The phrase, “you can’t take it with you when you go” shouldn’t be an invitation to buy more stuff. It should be an invitation to change our perspective on what we can take with us – our souls. Invest in loving other people and introduce them to Jesus, so they can be a part of the Kingdom as well. Maybe one day we will have fewer storage units on earth, so we can have a bigger party in Heaven.