Saturday morning, I was on my way to visit a friend. While driving, a late model shiny sports car abruptly pulled over into my lane ahead of me. The license plate read CYOUL8R. In other words, – “See you later.”  I shook my head and couldn’t help but wonder, wow, you spent 80 grand or more on a car just so you could go faster than me?  I began thinking out loud, if the driver of that sports car and I go to the same destination, and we go the posted speed limit, it is highly likely that my 1998 Honda Civic 5 speed will get there about the same time they do, give or take a couple of minutes to account for acceleration, traffic, and traffic lights. 

There’s nothing wrong with having a new car, or a nice home. However, we need to ask ourselves, “What’s our motive and mindset?” The same holds true for all our possessions in general. Why do we buy so much stuff? I’ve been rereading John Mark Comer’s book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry with some of my work colleagues. While discussing the chapter on possessions and minimalism and the need for simplicity, one of my coworkers who is also going through the book with his wife commented that in a recent conversation his wife said, “Stuff equals Stress”. What a line! We talked about that further and concluded isn’t that the truth!  The more stuff we have the more stress it brings into our lives. Whereas simplicity and owning less is freeing and liberating.

As I continued my drive, I began to reflect on my time with our three grandchildren exactly one week earlier. They had spent the night at Oma’s and Opa’s house on Friday evening. We went out for breakfast to IHOP early Saturday morning to enjoy some eggs, bacon, and for each of the grandchildren a stack of pancakes. After breakfast, Abigail went back home to mom, and the two grandsons Jeremiah and Nathaniel went with me on a surprise outing. Weeks earlier I had purchased special VIP tickets for the Lego Brickfest Live event coming to our community. They didn’t know where we were going as I began the drive and were completely surprised when we arrived.  The looks on their faces were priceless.

For the next five hours we saw incredible life-sized Lego displays including: Star Wars characters, Woody from Toy Story, and two of their favorites, Steve from Minecraft and Mario from the Mario video game. They also experienced a meet and greet with a Lego Master, built Lego cars and raced them on a track like a soap box derby, and built numerous Lego creations. We went to a nearby food truck and had lunch together, and soaked it all in. At the end of our outing Opa was exhausted! The boys absolutely loved the time together. We not only built Legos, but we built lasting memories together.

Here’s my point, I’m soooo over stuff and things, and grieve as I watch others and those I care for deeply trying to keep up with the Jones’s (Who are those people anyway?), toiling away at their jobs nearing burnout, only to acquire more stuff, while compromising their health and what is most important of all, relationships.   Ask yourself, would you rather spend time and money on people or possessions?

What’s more important and meaningful, pressing on at breakneck speed toward a life of obtaining more stuff than we could ever use that eventually ends up in a landfill, or pursing a path that leads to Jesus, joy and life experiences with those we love the most?

Contentment is the state of being satisfied with what you have, and not desiring more. The Bible contains many verses about finding contentment in our relationship with God and not through accumulating possessions. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Trust me my colleague’s wife is correct – Stuff equals Stress.

• YouTube