It's just stuff right?

Posted by: Paulette
A few weeks ago my eldest son came into my room crying, "why? Why? Why?" He sounded as if he'd lost a best friend or something. When I asked him what was wrong, he told me that one of his sisters had scribbled all over a drawing that he'd been working on that was close to being perfect. I told him that I was sorry. Things are temporary. And that our relationships with people are not. If someone destroys our stuff, we need to forgive them and love them, because people are more important than stuff.

When a rich man came to Jesus and asked him what he should do, Jesus told him to sell all that he had and give the money to the poor and to follow him. The rich man declined. That's not to say that he didn't go to heaven. But he was letting his stuff hold him back from his potential.
I constantly have to remind myself that none of this stuff is mine. I am a steward, and God owns it all.

This morning I got up and began to make breakfast. As I shifted around dirty dishes from last night and wiped off counter tops, I came to realize that I was missing one of my expensive Saladmaster pans. We are still paying for these pans! And I began to panic. I looked everywhere (in the kitchen), and wanted to cry. Since I wasn't feeling well yesterday, and spent most of the day in bed, I wasn't the one doing the dishes. And I guess one of the boys was feeling overwhelmed about washing this particular pan and so he hid it outside in the back yard; in their hideout behind some bushes.
I know I should do something to punish the offender (if I'm ever able to determine who it was) but I'm just relieved to have the pan back.
And once again I have to remind myself that even though we are still paying for it, it's not really mine. I think I'm entitled to a good cry, though. In relief now that it's found.