Addicted to Stuff

I stole this title from Robin Dugall's Homeword devotional Blogpost.

Click here to read Robin's original post.

The title caught my attention.  I love stuff, I have stuff, I'm always looking for more stuff...but am I addicted? I opened the email and read on.

His Scripture verse: Then he said, "This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods." Luke 12:18

Ouch. But really, tear down perfectly good barns just to build bigger ones?  Why not just build a storage barn for your excess? But then I guess the point is the excess.  Do we really need so much stuff that there isn't room to keep it?

My friend Cheryl in Oregon wrote to me about purging some of her stuff.  She said it was painful to get rid of her stuff, but afterwards it was liberating. It made me think I might like to be liberated.

Robin's article is about moving his family across the country and watching as his family's stuff was loaded onto the moving van. It took a group of workers several hours to complete the job. How could he have so much stuff? And in stark contrast, how can so many have so little?

What kind of stuff do you have?  I have a giraffe room and I love to add new giraffes to it. I have pears in my kitchen (Perry) and there's always room for one more. I am a coffee drinker and have an extensive coffee mug collection. My great-grandma's blue willow dishes are on display in my husband's grandma's china closet. Technology toys, I love them.  Bargain hunting for clothing and home decor. My goodness, will my list never end?

Following the example set forth by AA, "I am a consumer." I will publish this post and then start boxing up my excess for a trip to Goodwill, after I unpack my mug from New Orleans and put it in the dishwasher, that is.

Seriously, it is better to give than to receive. And it's not just giving stuff, but more importantly giving time, helping out, and being available to others.

Robin closes his devotional with this scripture: Jesus said, ... "Freely you have received. Freely give." Matthew 10:8