The stuff of life is more than stuff
The cashier at Walmart shared a very interesting theory with me the other day. We were both reveling in the appearance of the sun that day, and she remarked how she couldn’t wait to get outside, but she had a lot of indoor spring cleaning to take care of first. Her theory was that we get so depressed and homebound in Northeast Ohio with our long, dreary winters that we shop and fill our homes with all manner of junk to cheer ourselves.
I’ve been pondering her words ever since. Sure, we joke about retail therapy, but it’s really no laughing matter if it distracts us from dealing with the source of our discontent, clutters our homes, and empties our wallets. The problem is that we can fill up our homes, but still feel so empty on the inside, so we just keep accumulating more stuff. Sure, there are lots of ways to clear clutter, but it’s like trying to clean up the Gulf when there’s still an oil tanker leak.
Jesus even weighed in on clearing clutter. Well, not in so many words, but he did have something to say about stuff when he told a rich guy to get rid of it all and follow him. Remember what the guy did? He walked away sad because he had so much stuff. So how do we avoid being just like that guy--living with so much stuff, but not really having anything that fulfills us? It’s not easy, but there are some simple steps to take.
First, ask yourself every time you make a purchase, “Do I want this or do I need this?” That’s a tricky question because we have to be very honest with ourselves. If you find yourself justifying it, you probably just want it. Then ask yourself, “Why do I want it?” If you find yourself thinking, “If I just had this, then I would feel better, or have guests over, or . . .” then you can be sure that you are using stuff to fill that empty place in your life.
Next, figure out what to do about the empty spot. Again, this is simple, but it’s not easy. It may mean that you need to make room for meaningful relationships, the first of which is with the Creator. He does ask us to follow him, but often, we turn away sadly because we like all the stuff. We don’t want to follow until we’re drowning in all our clutter, overwhelmed, lonely, and in debt. Hear his voice in nature, in church, and by cracking open the Bible. Remember, it’s that book underneath all your clutter on the bookshelf.
Follow that up with reaching out to friends and family. Again, relationships are not easy, but they are far more rewarding in the long term than shopping. Often, our stuff can be the buffer we use to isolate ourselves from relationships. We fill our lives with all the stuff so that there is no room for relationships. After all, when we’re consumed with caring for all that clutter, who has time to invest in others?
Another strategy is to give your time to someone who is not able to give anything back to you. When you feel the Northeast Ohio blues, you can bet there is an elderly person feeling it, too. It will fill you beyond belief to alleviate someone else’s loneliness far more than filling your cart ever could. Volunteering has a way of giving us perspective and taking our minds off ourselves. Once we attack the reason for all our clutter, it is easier to eliminate all the extra stuff for good.
I’ve been pondering her words ever since. Sure, we joke about retail therapy, but it’s really no laughing matter if it distracts us from dealing with the source of our discontent, clutters our homes, and empties our wallets. The problem is that we can fill up our homes, but still feel so empty on the inside, so we just keep accumulating more stuff. Sure, there are lots of ways to clear clutter, but it’s like trying to clean up the Gulf when there’s still an oil tanker leak.
Jesus even weighed in on clearing clutter. Well, not in so many words, but he did have something to say about stuff when he told a rich guy to get rid of it all and follow him. Remember what the guy did? He walked away sad because he had so much stuff. So how do we avoid being just like that guy--living with so much stuff, but not really having anything that fulfills us? It’s not easy, but there are some simple steps to take.
First, ask yourself every time you make a purchase, “Do I want this or do I need this?” That’s a tricky question because we have to be very honest with ourselves. If you find yourself justifying it, you probably just want it. Then ask yourself, “Why do I want it?” If you find yourself thinking, “If I just had this, then I would feel better, or have guests over, or . . .” then you can be sure that you are using stuff to fill that empty place in your life.
Next, figure out what to do about the empty spot. Again, this is simple, but it’s not easy. It may mean that you need to make room for meaningful relationships, the first of which is with the Creator. He does ask us to follow him, but often, we turn away sadly because we like all the stuff. We don’t want to follow until we’re drowning in all our clutter, overwhelmed, lonely, and in debt. Hear his voice in nature, in church, and by cracking open the Bible. Remember, it’s that book underneath all your clutter on the bookshelf.
Follow that up with reaching out to friends and family. Again, relationships are not easy, but they are far more rewarding in the long term than shopping. Often, our stuff can be the buffer we use to isolate ourselves from relationships. We fill our lives with all the stuff so that there is no room for relationships. After all, when we’re consumed with caring for all that clutter, who has time to invest in others?
Another strategy is to give your time to someone who is not able to give anything back to you. When you feel the Northeast Ohio blues, you can bet there is an elderly person feeling it, too. It will fill you beyond belief to alleviate someone else’s loneliness far more than filling your cart ever could. Volunteering has a way of giving us perspective and taking our minds off ourselves. Once we attack the reason for all our clutter, it is easier to eliminate all the extra stuff for good.
Published: April 18, 2011
