You Can't Take It With You

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." - 1 Timothy 6:6-7

I admit it.

Yes, I actually said it.

I actually complained that I might not have enough room in our car for all of the stuff that I am taking to camp next week.

I mean, that's like complaining that there isn't enough room in the refrigerator. Why complain about having too much food?

What a blessing that God has so abundantly met our needs. What a blessing that I have a stroller for jogging, a stroller for sunny walks (complete with a swivel shade and a heat sensor), AND an umbrella stroller. What a blessing that Juliette has a heavy coat, a lighter jacket, a thick sweater, AND a summer sweater. What a blessing that we have so many material possessions that cater to nearly our every need, not to mention our every wish or desire.

But how quickly those blessings can become burdens when they are not put in their proper place. How quickly they can become distractions or diversions, mastering us rather than being mastered by us. How quickly they can become sources of worry and anxiety. How quickly they can become something that just takes up space - space in our homes, space in our closets, space in our lives.

Don't get me wrong, I greatly enjoy our strollers, and subsequently all of our other many blessings, but I hope that, should they all be striped away, I would not find that I had built my joy around them. I hope that the source of my contentment runs deeper than the physical blessings that we have so graciously been endowed with.

I hope that I can be happy, even when I can't take it all with me - to camp, or otherwise.

So if you see a white SUV, stuffed to the gills, driving down the highway with a "Camp or Bust" sign on the window, say a little prayer for me.

Pray that I'll get a little better at this whole contentment thing.