In Others' Words: Stuff

"All that stuff—it’s not yours. And you know something else about all that stuff? It’s not you." ~Max Lucado

“Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”

(Luke 12:15 The msg)

Have I ever defined myself by the stuff I own? Probably. (And I'm not proud when I admit that.)

It's that whole "Keeping up with the Joneses" dilemma. Surely the stuff we own proves something about us, right? At least, we think it does. Or else we wouldn't care what the Joneses had. We wouldn't care so much about what we had--or didn't have. 

Stuff. I have too much of it. And that's a problem. But letting my stuff--clothes or shoes or books or the kind of car I drive--define me, that's narrowing the definition of who I am down to inanimate objects that break or rust or go out of style or depreciate the minute you drive them off the lot. 

In Your Words: Have you got a handle on your stuff--or does it have an unhealthy hold on you? Treasuring a family heirloom is one thing, but purchasing something because it supposedly gives you a boost in status . . . that's something else all together. 

photo by nuttakit/freedigitalphotos.net

Lesson from the Trashcan

Photo by JoshUlfer/stockxchange.com

"The things people discard tell more about them than the things they keep."

— Hilda Lawrence, author

I have a difficult time getting rid of certain things. Magazines. Papers. Birthday cards. Photos? Forget it. Drafts of articles and chapters? Doesn't matter how many times I've rewritten something--or even if said article or book is published--I keep everything from the first lousy draft to the polished finished work.

I have no problem throwing out leftovers--I don't like leftovers. If I see food once, I don't want to see it again. No problem tossing junk mail. Or worn out clothes. Or other people's hand-me-downs, especially when I know they handed it down to me rather than throw it away.

So what does this say about me? Not too attached to food I've eaten once--or other people's stuff.

What does what you toss say about you?