“We’re back to the same kind of car we had when we first married,” she mused as we looked around the room. Downsizing was in the making, and we were both remembering, if anything, a bit wistfully.
Just seems to be the season these days…but not for all folks.
A boat. A cabin. A motor home with car to match. A new house. Such were a few of the possessions that someone I once knew owned – all at one time. While some people simply hope to pay their electric bills, others, as the one mentioned above, are blessed with “things”.
Now, let me be clear, “things” aren’t bad. They can be, wonderful. Those who have them and enjoy them know what blessings they can be. And, understanding this, they share their things with others in order to spread the joy.
Thing, however, do not contain life. They are without life. Nor are they life giving. Without people, they just sit. Like in a museum where they don’t really do much other than offer us something to look at and ponder-and collect dust. For those of you who have had the luxury of things, you know exactly what I mean. Things are meant to be used and to be enjoyed–while we have them. They’re fun and they do make life a bit less boring.
King Solomon was a man who owned many things. The Queen of Sheba after her visit to his palace in Jerusalem was said to have noted that the stories she’d heard didn’t do justice to what she discovered during her stay. But Solomon was not always a happy man. The book of Ecclesiastes, (written by Solomon himself), explores this season of his life. Sometimes we find that we work harder for things than we do for the things that matter most.
Now, I realize this can vary from person to person, but the fact is, what we invest our time, our energy, and our resources in and on says a lot about who we are as a person.
Maybe we could all take a look this weekend and notice where we are investing most or ourselves. If we find we are more focused in, or on, things why not see if we can’t make a few adjustments here or there.
Life. It’s not about things. They’re just a part of it.
Just my thoughts…
Stephanie