So, you know how we had the dryer issue the day we came back from vacation in May, right? We had to get a new one. Well, guess what happened in June – yep, the washer started going bad. I had thrown a load in, hit the buttons as usual, and it started doing its thing. It filled, it washed, it rinsed, it spun – oh my word, what is that noise? One of those noises where you run screaming, turn it off! turn it off! turn it off! When in the spin cycle, the washing machine made this hideous sound, like marbles rubbing metal. We ran. We hit Stop. We sank.
We’re thinking here we go again, back to Lowe’s, where they fix all your woes, if you spend enough money. Ugh! We try again, we turn it back on, maybe it was just off balance, let’s give it one more go. We hit the power button, and the washer starts spinning. Other than that hideous noise, nothing seemed out of kilter except…as we stand there, pieces of dog food are flying across the laundry room floor from underneath the washer! I know, crazy. The dog’s nightly portion had just flown out from under the washer – what the heck is going on here?
We looked around because the dog food is kept in a plastic tub in our laundry room. We had recently gotten a new bag that wouldn’t quite fit in the tub so it was propped beside the tub. We look at the bag and there’s a hole, not just a little nick, baseball size. Tony pulls out the washing machine and underneath was enough dog food to fill a large coffee can, twice, no lie. When he tilted the washer for me to clean underneath, more fell out of the bottom of our washer. I know, crazy. He’s ba-ack…we have a mouse – ugh! That darn thing was taking the dog food out of the bag, through the hole he had chewed, and was storing it in the bottom of our washing machine. I know, crazy. He was quite industrious, I will give him that. He had quite a stash. It made me think what am I stashing?
Are you a collector? A stower? A stasher? A – I might use this one day – person? What are some of the things you save, you store? What are some things you’d stash in my washing machine?!?! That little mouse was storing up treasures. He couldn’t have possibly eaten it all, even if he’d had a party.
Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal.
Matthew 6:19
What am I storing? What am I keeping? Are my possessions that important that I treasurer them more than my relationship with Jesus, here on earth? Are my collections that collectible? Are my treasures taking up too much space, too much time? Jesus gives us the simple, not so simple, solution.
Store your treasurers in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves.
Matthew 6:20
He’s saying that the things we collect, the things we store on this earth mean nothing. Our material things will always lose value. They will decay, they will be destroyed, they will be stolen. When Jesus was asked by the rich young ruler what he must do to have eternal life, Jesus said sell all your stuff, your collections, the stuff you’ve stowed away, the money you’ve stashed.
…and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.
Matthew 19:21
Empty yourself. That’s where the real treasure begins. Then, follow Jesus.
Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will be also.
Matthew 6:21
What do we need to get rid of or sell off? What do we need to empty ourselves of that take up our time, our space? Do we have stuff that is replacing Jesus?
Peter said to Jesus:
“We’ve given up everything to follow you.”
Matthew 19:27
He may never ask us to get rid of our earthly possessions, but then again He might. He’s not saying go today and sell all of your possessions, or maybe He is. He’s saying your only treasure is in Him. We can collect all we want, but the only thing that has lasting value is Jesus.