The move towards simplicity and minimalism is attractive. Material goods are not evil but our attitude towards them either draw us towards God or can pull us away. The Bible encourages us to hold loosely to the things He has put in our stewardship.
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.1 Timothy 6:7
What we have - things, relationships, circumstances - is all borrowed from God. Understanding that it will not follow us into eternity helps us to keep an open hand. God will give us as He chooses for our good, for His glory, and for the good and blessing of those around us. He will also remove them if needed for the same reasons.
Corrie ten Boom put it this way, "Hold everything in your hands loosely, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open."
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin 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
Am I gripping anything too tightly? Do I love God more than what He has entrusted to me? Those are questions I need to consider regularly. I want to hold loosely, to everything and everyone He has placed in my life. Let them be for His glory only. And when He removes what I have, my hands will be ready to be filled with something new.
