Too Much Stuff.

So it's finally done....well, kind of. I've "officialy" moved out of my apartment and into the Godfrey's. It only took a couple of car loads since everything I brought here I want to take to California. Once I arrived here though and upon seeing my suitcases, Neil (my best friend's dad) asked me a seriously alarming question. "Are you driving there?" Ummm...no! So now I am faced with another little problem. An excess of things to pack and bring down. I'm torn between two mentalities here. On one hand I realize (and boy do I ever) that I have way too much stuff. And on the other hand, I justify it, because realistically, I don't really have all that much compared to most people I know.
That's the clincher though. I have alot of stuff compared to who? Compared to my neighbour across the street? To the homeless man living in downtown Calgary? To the African living in a remote village in the Congo? Where do the comparisons begin or even end? I was watching a Nooma video the other day. It's brand new. It's called Rich. Here is the essential message.
"It’s easy for us to fall into a mindset of viewing “our” world as “the” world, because it’s all we generally see. We’re constantly bombarded with images of the latest styles and models of everything, and it can easily leave us feeling like what we have isn’t enough because we see people that have even more than us. But how does what we have compare to what most people in the world have? Maybe what we have is enough; maybe it’s more than enough. Maybe God has blessed us with everything we have so we can bless and give to others. "
That's what I'm learning. What I have is more than enough. To probably over 70% of the world I am that model on the cover of that magazine. My room is that ad in the flyer. All proverbially speaking of course. But you know what I mean. So what do we do in response to this?
I'm struck with the reality that this is a problem that is not just surface level. It deserves stronger words than materialism and "consumer-driven." It is (at least in my case) a problem of identity. Now, let me put on the disclaimer here. By no means am I claiming that owning things, shopping, or any other sort of costly or money oriented activity is wrong or sinful, I am simply exposing the hold these things have on MY life. When I litterally buy into the lie that says that what we own and how we look determines who we are and how we are perceived (though the truth is that perception is often outwardly determined) I am finding my identity in what I appear to be.
It is not hard to see how this mindset is so damaging as our identity is to be found in Christ. Maybe this is the inward battle that Paul talks about in his letter to the Corinthians. "1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (Chapter 5, NIV)
How are we then to respond to this? Though this desire, this burden to be "clothed with our heavenly dwelling" lies far deeper than things like fashion, design, or aesthetic, I believe they play a role. I for one am challenged to live beyond these inadequate attempts at satisfying a deeper need. I have failed at this. I have bought into the lie that what I look like and what I own (and in my case, it is mostly wardrobe driven) determine who I am and how I will be treated.
So as I continue my struggle with this reality in my life and all the lies that I've bought into associated with this battle, I ask others to look at their lives and ask themselves these same kinds of questions. It's tough, and on one hand I loose the comfort of feeling like my possesions speak for me, but I am confident in this. When we look to Christ to complete us and our identity, we will be satisfied beyond what any shopping spree or trip to IKEA can give us. Thanks for reading. Be blessed.