It was a breezy day as I pulled into the Stater Brothers parking lot.  As I drove through the lot, there it was.  We’ve all seen them before.  Forgive me brethren, but this is one of those things that challenge my sense of kindness.  It raises my hackles like fingernails on a chalkboard.  It was one of those brand new cars that take up four parking places.  This is not due to their size, but due to their newness.  It’s such a silly thing.  I parked nearer to the door than this car was.  The truth is that even if the situation doesn’t inconvenience me, it still torques my jaws to see someone take more parking than the rest of us are entitled to.  But today was a special day, because strangely all of that was going to change.

As I said earlier, this was a breezy day.  As I exited the market and started for the car it happened.  A shopping cart, carried by the wind began to roll.  It was slow at first, but continued to gather momentum.  It began to veer to the right as though it was seeking a worthy target.  Then as though the targeting system on one of the latest smart weapons had been locked in, it bore down upon the four parking place car at breakneck speed.  It struck and shattered the right front headlight.  I must confess, and also speculate that some of you might at this point be experiencing the moment of joy that I felt when I witnessed this event.

My joy was almost immediately replaced by compassion.  This surprised even me.  I thought how important this car was to its owner.  The extreme care that they had taken to preserve the newness of it.  The car that was new when they went into the store had become old in the time it takes to buy a loaf of bread.  How heartsick they would feel when they returned.  How angry and depressed this would make them.  Their new car had gone the way of all possessions.  It was now damaged goods.

Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Mt 6: 19-21)   There’s no future in possessions.  All new things become old things.  I’m not talking about antiques here.  All things become old and all “things” come to an end, and this will be sooner than we think (1 Pet 4: 7).  The more that we treasure our things, the more that we leave ourselves open to disappointment, depression, and even anger.  All these things belong to the moths, the rust and the thieves.  Try as we might, we really have no control of when our things will be taken from us any more than we have control of moths, rust, or thieves.

When Pharaoh invited Jacob to bring his family to Egypt, he said, “Regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.” (Gen 45: 20)  Pharaoh didn’t want Jacob hindered or burdened by his possessions, because there was no need.  Everything would be provided when he arrived at his destination.  Essentially Jesus has said the same thing in Luke 12: 32-34, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  It’s God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom.  Regard not your stuff, for all the good of the kingdom is yours when you arrive.  Those that are weighted down and burdened by their stuff might not survive the journey.