Written By Rev. Dr. David Dubovich
Pastor at Hutchinson, Park Place Christian Church
When I was a kid, I collected stuff. Of course, at the time I was convinced that the stuff I collected was invaluable. The stuff I can remember beginning exceptionally valuable was my marble collection and my collection of baseball and football cards.
My marble collection grew primarily by playing marbles with my childhood friends in Republic. We always seemed to value the very same marbles so the really awesome marbles would change hands frequently. I added to my baseball and football card collection primarily through parting with my hard-earned allowance.
My mom would often ask me, “Do you really need another pack of baseball cards?” Of course, it’s not about need. It’s about the allure of something new. Or sometimes the tantalizing draw of something old, something rare. Whatever captivates our imagination, we’re tempted to believe that if we only had “X,” our lives would be better. We’d be happy. Content. Except those things never satisfy, at least for very long. Why? Because God created us to be filled by Him, not by the things that the world around us often insists will satisfy our longing hearts.
This tension is not new. The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy to stay focused on what matters most, “tell them to do good, to do a lot of good foundation of the future. In this way they take hold of what life really is,” (1 Timothy 6:18-19)
The world insists that material abundance equals “the good life.” In contrast, God invites us to be rooted in him to experience His goodness, and to flourish fruitfully. And as we’re shaped by our relationship with Him, God reshapes our hearts and desires, transforming us from the inside out.
Indecently, just to put things into perspective …. long after I had purchased my last pack of baseball cards, while I was in college, my mom took all my “invaluable” baseball and football cards to the burn pile. To her they weren’t so invaluable. To her they were just in the way. And as for my marbles …. I seem to have lost my marbles! Somehow, I’ve survived. Isn’t it amazing what “treasures” we can do without when we focus on what really is valuable?
God bless you on your journey!