Lent Day 39: the thin line between stewardship and slavery

I spent a good portion of my day trying to make progress on cleaning out the part of my house that is designated as the garage.  Most garages have some amount of accumulated stuff that needs to be sorted and processed.  Mine is a little out of control.

Over the past year,  we had a few tenets who were hoarders.  They moved out of the 250sq ft studio with an oversized moving van. Suitable for perhaps a 3 bedroom house.  They left behind roughly an equal amount, and in breaks of the weather I've been slowly going through to find tools that we've needed, throw away garbage and organize the salvageable stuff to be given or hauled away.

Jesus said you cannot serve two masters.  You love one and hate the other.  I used to think that materialism only looked like a wasteful consumerism.  Buying this year's trendy boots when last year's boots are still barely broken in. But watching this couple struggle with stuff made me realize that there are other forms of materialism.

I think the main motives for getting things were good.  They often found things for free or cheap.  They were thrifty and able to fix things. Most of the stuff they had was really nice and they kept things in relatively good order.  But it killed them.

The accumulation of stuff, I believe wss out of fear.  They were broke.  What if they needed something? They couldn't afford it.. so,  just in case,  they were prepared.

There is a fine line between stewardship, carrying for resources entrusted to you and and allowing things to become a source of control.

Give us this day our daily bread.

This is a hard prayer to own.  We'd most definitely prefer today's, tomorrow's and next week's bread if possible.  We can store up items or cash or insurance policies as a means to take control over our lives. But then,  we get bogged down managing it all.  Organizing our finances,  cleaning out sheds... building bigger barns. And our time, the scarcest of all our resources becomes enslaved by things because we are afraid of what might be.

I struggle with this.  Where is the line? Being a good stewart of my resources,  the earth,  my talents and hoarding them up in a feeble attempt to take more control over my life. Can I really accept that God will provide daily? And what if God doesn't provide? These aren't easy questions. 

And so, while I clean out spaces overflowing with extra stuff,  I'll meditate on this.