reflections

Recently God's been convicting me about possessions. Everyone is concerned over what's new and what will make them fit in. I'm definitely included in this, and I've noticed it a lot lately. Every commercial is trying to get us to be dissatisfied with what we have and want what they're trying to sell. The person without their product is usually shown as "not cool" or someone who doesn't like to have fun. These things become something we think we need in order to move on with our lives. Then I go to downtown and see a man literally eating something from the trashcan. It broke my heart to see the reality of the world we live in. While I'm worried about whether or not I should get braces or what new clothes I want, people are struggling to find something to eat and a place to live. Recently I think about things before I saw "I need this", because most of the time I don't. As Christians we are called to live in the world, but not of the world, and have definitely been living of the world. Matthew 6:19-20 tells us "do not store up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves in heaven..." Honestly, I forget this too much and I build up my treasures here on earth. I forget that everything here is temporary and that none of it will last. My wants should not come before someone else's needs. It's ridiculous that I can think I deserve $10 for myself rather than buying some dinner for a man who would otherwise be getting his dinner from a trashcan.