When you downsize from a large 4 bedroom house
and yard to a small 2 bedroom unit you soon learn a lot about possessions. You
also learn a lot of unexpected things about possession!
Now when people talk about "being possessed"
their immediate thoughts turn to satanic evil spirits, all things supernatural
and the head spinning ability to see everything in a creepy 360 degree
panorama. Seldom does anybody's thoughts turn to the everyday things lurking
quietly in your house, yard, and garage - unless you are downsizing or somewhat
tangential in your thinking. Or, as in my case, both.
We think in terms of owning stuff, but the truth
is, it is the stuff that possesses us. And the more we own the more we become
possessed. How many have saved up the money to by a flash new car, only to
realise that suddenly they have to pay more of their hard earned dollars on
insurance, services repairs and petrol. Not only that but suddenly every second
weekend finds you in your driveway washing, polishing and vacuuming trying
desperately to maintain that fresh, shiny, luxury new look you just paid so
much for. You may have a flash new car and be the envy of the neighbourhood,
but suddenly you find a not insignificant slice of your time and money and life
has now been possessed by your car as you try to keep it in the manner to which
it has rapidly become accustom. Then for some mad insane reason you think it
would look so much better if it was towing a flash new boat. Suddenly another
large chunk of your money and weekends disappears into "asset
maintenance" as you somehow squeeze looking after the car and boat into
the weekly routine of mowing, weeding, watering, vacuuming, leaf blowing, pool
cleaning, etc., etc.
Then eventually you wake up one day and find you
have succeeded in having everything you ever
dreamed of - except the time, money and energy to enjoy it. Your waking
hours and weekly budget are spent looking after and maintaining all you have.
Your life is no more your own. It is owned by the things you possess.
The short of it is, that when we buy stuff we
are often just paying for the privilege of being thereafter enslaved to it. Now
sometimes the benefit we derive from the stuff we have outweighs, or at least
breaks even with, the costs, effort, time and energy needed to maintain it. But
there are times when we would be better off using the money, time, effort, and
energy elsewhere. Those times greatly increase the more we own and the more of
our lives we need to set aside for maintaining it. It is exceedingly easy to
reach a point where everything we do is for the sake of everything we own.
We use to have a pool, until we realised we
spent an extraordinarily greater amount of time and energy cleaning it,
repairing it and maintaining it than we ever did actually in it. It is a really
nice garden now. Likewise we use to have a 4 bedroom house surrounded by 1,000
square metres of lawns and gardens and an inordinately large portion of our
lives and budget was just spent doing nothing more than maintaining it all. But
eventually, after our children had grown up and had places of their own, there
was only the two of us there and we only lived in three and a bit rooms. Our
lives had become possessed by the upkeep of things we really did not need. So
we downsized to a two bedroom unit by the water that takes all of ten minutes
to vacuum if you try hard enough and no yard-work at all.
But downsizing was only the process. What we
were really doing was upsizing and refocusing our lives by downsizing
the things that possessed it. All that time energy and money we spent
maintaining what we really did not need we can now invest in the things that
really are important and meaningful to us .... And to the Lord. For who we are and what we value most,
especially in the eyes of the Lord, is not about what we possess, but about
what we do with what we possess. And in
the end all we really possess is .... the life He has given us. What will you
do with the one He has given you?
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures
on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not
destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
D.J. Ludlow
Provided it is done freely and without charge
"What On Earth Is Possessing You?" may be
copied, used and distributed
(in its entirety only, including this notice)
by brothers and
sisters in Christ
to the profit and glory of The Lord alone (ttpagoTLa)
By special permission of
D.J. Ludlow
copyright 2016
#smallgiftsministries #ttpagoTLa
