One of our hobbies is stopping at those little antique shops along the road.  We love to do this in cities we visit or drive through. Even the smallest town has two or three.  Inside you find every nook and cranny overflowing with things.

Why do we do this? Our hope is that we are going to find that one unique treasure that will fill some niche in our home or maybe be the best gift ever for a friend.

The reality is that most of the time we are disappointed.  We walk through the aisles, find nothing worth buying and then move on.

But there are times when I’m unsettled by all of the things I see in these shops.   I realize they every item was once someone’s treasure.  What they once valued now sits for months waiting for a buyer.

This experience leaves me with two thoughts and several questions.

First I’m amazed at the variety of items that have been manufactured over the last 100 years.  Clearly human beings have been busy creating every gadget and decorative item possible. When we consider the amount of time, effort and money it takes to get something designed and manufactured, I am amazed at how much time that took out of someone’s life.

The second thing that surprises me is the unlimited variety of things we collect and hang on to during our life. And which then ends up in some random shop.

My Questions

In my own life I wonder why I keep certain items and what makes them special to me.  My other questions are:  Does my collection make me happier? Will any of my friends or family really want these items in the future? What is the personal costs of holding on to my treasures? How is my pursuit of treasures impacting my  marriage, my friendships, my use of time and my other affections?

I’ve seen the negative impact that collecting treasures can have on our important relationships. The closest example is my mom who passed away in 2013.

Early in her life I can see from pictures that she was neat.  She didn’t seem to collect anything other than silver spoons, which hung on the wall.  I can see that she had big goals and was a top student, even earning multiple college degrees. But something changed inside of her as she aged and struggled in life.

In the last years of her life every floor, table, countertop or other surface in her home was covered with something.  Tiny walking trails ran through her apartment. Each just wide enough to move through.  Old pizza boxes were stacked on the counters in the kitchen and on every table and chair.  Some of the pizza boxes she used like filing cabinets. If you saw this you would recognize that she was a classic hoarder as shown on  reality TV shows.

Even when she moved into my sister’s home she continued to collect more and more slips of paper, notes and unread books. Occasionally my sister would have a traumatic intervention with her and get her to discard things stacked in piles around her bedroom.

To her, these things were the treasures of her life.  She felt better about herself being surrounded by them and somehow they gave her life meaning.  And if someone tried to clean up or re-arrange anything, it brought her to the edge of panic.

What everyone in the family saw clearly was how much her treasures negatively affected her relationships.  Thinks replaced friendships.  Her treasures limited who would (or could) come visit her. There were no empty chairs to sit in or tables to sit around.

For me, the clutter was overwhelming.  And I wanted to help her but knew it was her choice not mine.  Her love affair with things controlled her life.

And she is not alone. There are many forms of hoarding.

In doing volunteer work, I’ve visited many homes that look neat and clean yet every surface has a knick-knack on it. I’ve walked through garages filled with tools that have never been used and have motor oil that is over 30 years old. Each is a memento of the past that has gained permanent status in someone’s life.

So can I really throw stones.  Am I innocent of this too? Sure I dislike clutter but what do I collect?

Finding our Real Treasure

God has reminded me that I can be a hoarder too.  I just hoard different things because I am fearful of becoming like my mother.  So most of my hoarding is better hidden from the casual eye.

I have hoarded several antiques which my children have already told me they will never want. I’ve also hoarded some non-physical things like the 30GB of pictures which I have on my computer. I’ve also hoarded things from my past experiences.

• That big unresolved hurt.
• That lingering disappointment I can’t get over.
• My favorite false beliefs.
• My big failures I keep thinking about.
• Those negative comments I rehearse over and over in my mind.
• Those favorite fears that keep me from trying something new.
• Those toxic friendships that drag me down over and over again.

These are the unsorted piles of things I need to deal with before it is too late, but I won’t unless God intervenes.  

These junk treasures are what tie me down and limit what God might do in my life. I only have so many minutes left. If I spend much time collecting more treasures, caring for my treasures, finding my value in them and expecting others to care then I will be disappointed.

Others can best see the negative influence these treasures have on my life but I’m mostly blind to it.  So, I usually think it’s no big deal.  Rather than considering their concerns I get defensive and assume they are just making a bigger deal than they should.  But maybe they aren’t.

Treasure that Matters

The Bible talks much of treasure. It starts by reminding us that we are God’s treasure.

You have been set apart as holy to the LORD your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure. Deuteronomy 14:2 NLT

I also mentions that our fear of the Lord is a great treasure because it protects us from foolishness.

In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the LORD will be your treasure. Isaiah 33:6 NLT

It also warns us that, what we make our treasure will either draws us closer to God or pushes us farther away.

Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:21

The Bible tells us where to lay up treasure (in Heaven).  And what is to be our true treasure is creating a transformational relationship with Him and the Father.

When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Luke 18:22

Temptations of Treasure

For many “good” reasons, the temptation we face is to accept and live with our “junk treasures”.  We are tempted to look to them for meaning, identity, comfort and value.

But isn’t that something that should come from our relationship with Jesus?

Plus, are we fooling ourselves to think that things can really provide us purpose, identity, comfort and value?

And if things do this, then are they really idols, not just things?

We have an enemy who is always looking to deceive us by expanding our need for Treasures other than Jesus. Nothing satisfies this enemy more than to see us carry our junk treasures around one more day, one more week, one more month or one more year.  And to his even greater satisfaction, some of us will carry them all the way to our grave.

Reclaiming our Power of Choice

But you and I have a choice every day that we can make.

We can choose to change. To face the truth that God is speaking to us through his Word and his people.

We can be honest with the Holy Spirit and ask Him to point out what we need to deal with. Then we can stop offering hollow excuses and confront our tendency to ignore our hoarding.

I believe this is one of the hardest things we face in life because so few of us do it well.

So I encourage you (and myself) to take a moment to discuss with our spouse and close friends.  Ask them these two questions.

• What do you see in my life that seems way more important than my relationship with God and others?
• What would you do if you were in my situation?

Then listen with an open mind.

As you listen, don’t see this as a negative conversation.  It’s a growth conversation.

God isn’t trying to steal our joy. He wants you and I to enjoy an abundant life. A life free from the love of things or dependence on things that offer false promises.

So, don’t be the person who becomes a human junk shop full of things no one else needs or values.  You are more than this.

Instead, make it your goal to fill your life with the important things.

Being a good friend, parent, spouse or relative. Loving others where they are. Discarding distractions. Living abundantly in the midst of just enough. Valuing eternal things first, including yourself. Because you are of infinite value.

And do this because there are true treasures calling for your attention everyday.

Questions

• Do I collect physical or non-physical treasures?
• What do I regularly excuse in my life that I know I need to let go?
• What fear keeps me from turning loose of my treasures?
• What half-truths do I tell myself to justify my junk treasures?
• What might I look back from eternity and find was a waste of my time, emotions, trust and purpose?
• Who should I have a discussion with about my treasures?