Dear Rose Park,
This Saturday I’ll board a plane to Bozeman, Montana by way of Denver, Colorado. I’ll stay with a college friend on Saturday, hear that same college friend preach on Sunday morning, and then drive 5 hours to my final destination of Kalispell, MT. I’ll be there for a week doing work with my doctorate cohort; I’m looking forward to the trip, but packing a suitcase is never fun.
I don’t know about you, but I am a classic over-packer. I’ll pack a suitcase for a 5-day trip as if I’ll be gone for an entire month. I’m not sure why I do this exactly, I’m sure it has something to do with a type-A personality and a desire to be in control, but it just seems silly. I can’t be the only one; I’m sure there’s someone else who has used the phrase, “well you never know, I might need it” to justify another pair of shoes, another hat, or another book in their suitcase or carry-on.
This kind of thinking goes beyond packing a suitcase. When cleaning out a closet, storage shelves in the basement, or even a third-stall garage we use phrases like, “don’t get rid of that, we might need it” even though we haven’t used [fill in the blank] in well over a year. Again, I’m not entirely sure why we cling to stuff, but at the end of the day we all know it’s just stuff. Some of it might have sentimental value, but a majority of it is just meaningless stuff we’re storing in boxes, on shelves, or in the corners of our hearts.
As I over-pack a suitcase and ponder the stuff we have collecting dust in the basement, I am reminded of Jesus’ words: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So, if you’re storing up a stockpile of shoes, dress shirts, knick-knacks for the living room, or even more digits in the bank account perhaps your heart has wandered there as well and if that’s the case, it’s my hope and prayer that we can all get rid of some stuff and move towards freedom in Christ.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark
P.S - I’ll miss you all while I’m in Montana and I look forward to seeing you all in worship on the 22nd.