Possessions
Hi Everyone, I am writing today about a vision given about six days ago, while at prayer. This vision speaks of a sensitive topic, that of possessions. We all have our favorite things, as well as those sentimental things with which we find difficult to let go. But the Lord has his own way of looking at things and how those things affect our lives and our values.
This is the vision:
First I saw myself drape a pair of pants across a rack of clothes, rather than hanging them up as they “should” be. The pole was attached perpendicularly to the back wall of the closet so that the clothes would be displayed parallel to the wall, instead of running the length of the wall. The other items were neatly displayed within the closet.
Then two days later, I received this three part vision:
I was at the entrance to a store. I saw a full row of brand new shopping carts neatly stacked, and packed tightly together. The carts were lightweight in appearance, and seemed to fold up like an umbrella stroller. The baskets were small and white. Then someone dropped off an old chrome shopping cart which was dirty, and beat up. I was not interested in using the old one, but I did not take a new one either.
Next I found myself in a grocery store with someone. The person said to me, ”I have a lot to buy.” I replied, “I’m going over there.” I headed the other direction, not really interested in buying anything. I thought perhaps I will see him on the other side.
Then I saw a traffic light, just the red light and the green light. There was no yellow. As I was looking at the lights, they seemed to change into the irises of human eyes, but maintaining the colors green and red.
This is what I believe the vision means:
The Pair of Pants
The casual draping of pants across the closet pole, rather than hanging them up represents, in my personal judgment, laziness, a lack of self discipline, and poor time management. Someone might disagree. saying, “I have a maid, and my messiness provides her with a job.” Or perhaps, one might say “I like a cluttered environment because it is more homey.” But I believe that when we have the time, it is a pleasure to put our things away properly, because we can enjoy the visual order and peace of an organized environment.
Not everyone appreciates visual order. As a former designer, mother and wife, I have discovered there are different ways to see possessions, and how individuals care for them.
As I see the vision, the pants were not hung up like the other clothes on the closet pole, but they should have been, particularly if you were to value neatness, and orderliness. The military is one example. Of course I am not speaking from experience, but only from what I am told, that neatness, and orderliness are traits that they try to instill in men in the service. I am sure that it is a rude awakening to many young men in bootcamp.
Even though to hang the pants is not more or less difficult, and not that time consuming, the choice was made to drape and go. It takes self discipline to do a task in the same uniform and neat manner consistently. Time management enters into the equation when we are short on time. Work is done with less care when we are rushed.
The ideas of laziness, and giving care to things are addressed in the Lord's parable of the ten talents or ten minas:
He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
“But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
“He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
“The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
“‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
“The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
“His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
“Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
“His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
“Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
“‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
“He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’” Luke 19:12-27
The servant was called "wicked," but in the gospel of Matthew, he is called "You wicked lazy servant!" Matthew 25:26 God is asking us to be good stewards of the things he gives us, not to be lazy, believing that the Lord will not return soon, and we can take our time, and do as we please. It is not only personal possessions, of which we need to be good stewards, but of our money, our time, and our abilities that God gives us. Everything that we have, really belongs to the Lord.
The Shopping Carts
The shopping carts were new. They were white, and neatly stacked. I liked the visual effect of the stacked carts. And I was intrigued by their folding mechanism. I liked the scale of the carts, for they were more delicate in frame and scale. The old, dirty chrome shopping cart had no beauty, and was not appealing. I was at the store, but had no desire to shop and disturb the nicely stacked carts.
Carts are for the sole purpose of making shopping more convenient. They free the hands to look, to hold and to examine items to purchase. The basket on a cart, carries everything so that the weight of an object will not deter a sale, or the sale of many items, whose total mass would also limit one’s ability to shop. These are provided by the store, so that each customer can purchase as much as he can possibly carry.
I believe that the carts represent, materialism, the idea that shopping, buying and acquiring things is what is most important in life. To those who practice this “faith,” owning many valuable possessions is an indicator of success, and a highly coveted means of achieving “happiness.”
In the vision, I liked to look at the design features of the cart, and the pattern the stacked carts made as a total, but I was not interested in taking a cart to go shopping.
The old chrome cart, represents possessions that have been used, almost worn-out. It was still functional, but in our society, when something gets old, and worn it is tossed out and replaced. The cart had lost its attractiveness, its appeal, to make shopping a pleasant experience. Store owners are more interested in keeping people happily shopping. So, if brand new shopping carts make happy shoppers, then they will spend the money to buy new carts.
The Stop and Go Lights Become Eyes
The traffic lights represent the ideas of stop and go, very clearly. In the vision, the red and green lights become irises of human eyes. I believe that God is showing us that our eyes are used to tell us whether it is good to stop or better to go.
When we see something, we make judgments about that thing. We assign a value to it. We categorize it, size it up and determine if it is worth keeping or tossing. It is said that “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and “What is one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.”
How you chose to value something says a lot about you. Are you a collector? Are you a hoarder? Or do you prefer to live minimally, with only the bare essentials? Or are you somewhere in between?
As Americans, we are consumers. We probably make several purchases every day: gas, tolls, groceries, lunch, coffee, personal care products, medicines, dinner and entertainment, etc. For us, a day hardly goes by without bringing goods home and taking the trash out.
A friend of mine, loves beautiful clothes. She has told me that when there is something that she likes very much, she will buy two of them, one in the size she currently wears, and one that is two sizes smaller in the event that she loses weight!
Another friend of mine, loves a bargain, especially freebies. She picks things up in the recycling room and brings them home. Her house is full of items that are duplicates or even triplicates of things she already owns. How many vacuum cleaners can one person use?
Another friend of mine, loves cookware of all kinds, and is constantly buying the latest and greatest cooking gadgets, appliances, and books on diet, exercise, health and cooking.
Another friend of mine, loves cars and anything on wheels. He buys boats, trailers, RV’s, cars for fun, cars for work, and probably something I forgot to mention.
There are many scriptures directing us to have the proper attitude towards our possessions. There are warnings given to us, to not allow our possessions to overtake good judgment, or become the top priority in our lives.
There is one such passage in Luke: The Parable of the Rich Fool
“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’
“Jesus replied, ‘Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’” Luke 12:13-15
This is a warning, because a greedy person, someone who has a great desire for acquiring things, is considered an idolater in the eyes of the Lord. “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a person is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.” Ephesians 5:5-6
Why is greed, and the love of things synonymous with idolatry? The first two of ten commandments address idolatry. The first states that "You shall have no other Gods before me." Exodus 20:3 One example comes to mind. If you work, play a sport or pursue a hobby or activity on the Lord's day, rather than going to church to worship him, then what you choose to do has taken precedence over God. That activity is an idol.
The second commandment is “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. you shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:4
Sometimes an object we own is placed in higher honor, than God. Perhaps your car, your house, or your vacation is more important than God. Whatever you put trust in, can become greater than God in your life: your job, your education, even your children can become more important than the Lord. Whatever it is, if God asks you for it, give it to him. If you are trying to please your boss, more than God, you need to change your priorities. Your love or devotion to your children or any family member cannot be greater than your faithfulness to the Lord. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, even their own life--such a person cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26
This is another warning about greed. The Apostle Paul, warns us that even in the church, there will be those who practice sin, and still claim to be brothers in Christ. (Greed is in the following list): “I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people--not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother, but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-11
Greediness, is a powerful sin. It can suck you into its trap, and you can be lost forever, never to know the kingdom of God. Read this passage, remembering that greed is synonymous with idolatry: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” Revelation 22:14-15
Greed is a trap. “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:23
I have quoted this scripture just recently, in my last post: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21 That is what Jesus told the rich young ruler, who was asking the Lord, about how he can please God and have eternal life.
Some people discover this on their own. A wealthy, chief tax collector, named Zacchaeus, discovered the freedom and joy of giving, when he was changed in the presence of the Lord. “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
“Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’” Luke 19:8-10
The response from someone who receives the Holy Spirit and is born again, is gratefulness and generosity. It was evident in the early church. The new believers were entirely changed people. “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them, For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” Acts 4:32-35
Going back to the eyes in the vision, they were green and red. When we have green eyes, we have the signal to “Go! Go shopping!” The color green reminds me of the expression “green with envy.” These are the eyes of covetousness. We want something, so we buy it. It looks like fun, so we will spend the money to experience it. It looks impressive, we believe we need it, so we buy it. I looks like a good restaurant, so let’s go!
When we see red, we stop and reflect, “Is this something that is a real need, or is this an example of impulsive buying?”
Perhaps you have green eyes in some situations, and red in others. I know this to be true for me. I indulged my son in not one, but two pairs of very expensive shoes for Christmas. I would never have even spent a portion of the cost of one shoe, for myself, but I rationalized, that it was Christmas, and it’s only once a year.
Now, when it comes to me, I hardly spend anything on clothes for myself. In the recent past, when I was shopping for myself, I placed a few things in a shopping cart, and then after several minutes of thinking about the items, I ended up returning them to the shelves or racks. Why didn't I buy them? Well, I usually come to the decision that I don’t really need them, and that what I would rather have - is the space that these items take up. So I put the cart back in its spot and went home, happy that I didn’t buy something that I would probably have just returned anyway.
I am a true minimalist, so I can’t imagine that everyone wants to go to the extremes, to which I go. But years ago, as a designer, I got my full dose of materialism. I prefer the simple life. I cannot be bothered by things of beauty that serve no purpose. I cannot be concerned about how I dress, or what car I drive.
An Exception
However, my likes and dislikes, and thoughts of possessions are my own, and should not be dictated to my family members, who do not share the same values. This is sin for me - when I make everyone around me uncomfortable, or unhappy just so that I can have the environment of my choosing. I cannot impose my will upon them. "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18
If my desire for an uncluttered environment brings discord, then I am not being a good representative of God's kingdom. We all have to take our personal situations before the Lord. He can change us to love someone enough that we are pleased to bring them joy, and keep our personal preferences in check. "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:10
On an Even More Serious Note:
There was a man in the Bible that regretted his greediness, but it was all too late. Judas betrayed the Lord for thirty pieces of silver. “When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. ‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’”
“‘What is that to us?’ they replied. ‘That’s your responsibility.’” So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.’” Matthew 27:3-5
Jesus forgives us when we repent. Thank you Jesus! He wants us to choose him and life everlasting, rather than material possessions, and the things of this world that take us far from him. He is more than willing to help us in our weaknesses and in our struggles. And with the Lord’s help, we can be like Zacchaeus, who upon meeting Jesus and understanding the Lord’s will for his life, gave up half of his possessions. Without reservation, he chose to make it right with the people he treated unfairly. That is what put a smile on the Lord’s face. He said, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’” Luke 19:8-10
Hallelujah! Be Blessed!
