“Casting all your care upon him; for he
careth for you.”-1 Peter 5:7
Hoarding, a known clinical disorder where people find it difficult
to part with their possessions because of the perceived need to save them. Hoarding cases can range from moderate to
severe. It is likely that most of us
hoard our possession to some degree; because of sentiment, ambition, business, laziness,
or some other reason. The reality is,
everything we own, owns us. Whether we
care to admit this or not, what you care for influences the cares you have in
this world, and what you care about is manifested in what you’re caring for.
Recently, the house coworker’s relative (sister to be exact)
caught fire. They woke in the middle of the night to the smoke alarm going off
and the house being engulfed in flames.
It being an old home, they had but a few precious seconds to grab the kids
and race out the door. Only to watch as
everything they owned burned to the ground.
It all happened so fast, the only thing they were able to take with them
was the clothes on their backs and their two small children. The cell phones, laptops, TV, pictures, toys,
books, furniture, lamps, clothes, everything; all those things in this life
that we hoard and hold onto; gone forever.
They were left with only what was most important to them in this
life. It is remarkable, and tragic, how
quickly the fire sorted out what was most important to them. Truly, we need things of this world to live,
but we are not living for the things of this world. If you let it, everything you own or hope to
own, will own you. The world’s idea is
to work, strive, labor, buy, sell, and get gain; in doing so we heap to
ourselves cares and cares of this world.
Some of this process is needful, in order to exist and provide for those
whom you are responsible for, but the rest is just hoarding. What is it about human nature that causes us
to hoard? What is it about human nature
that drives us to wallow in confusion, chaos, and clutter? This is true for not only the things we own,
but the cares that come with them. We
would spend our lives buying, selling, gaining, getting, and worrying about how
we are going to keep safe all that we have gain and gotten. Working all our lives to get and gain, hoping
that we get and gain enough so that we one day don't have to worry? This is one reason why the things of this world and the deceitfulness
of riches choke the Word and it becometh unfruitful; because they lead us
into thinking that we are the masters of our life, and the ones who can bring
peace and contentment to our souls. This
is why the Bible says that the work of
righteousness shall be peace and the effect quietness and assurance forever. It is God’s working that brings peace and
contentment. It is Jesus who comforts
and directs us. The Word is trying to
lead us in a path away from the cares of this world, and the flesh is
constantly crying at us to care, to hoard care, and to obtain that which will
one day fade away. Please do not
misinterpret; I am not saying that simply having stuff in this life means that
we are un-Christian or full of care.
Rather, that when you have/hoard the world and all it brings into your
heart how long until it is in your life?
The opposite is also true, when you have/hoard the world in your life,
how long until it is in your heart? When
it’s in our hearts, that is when we stand in danger of losing our souls. When our care is our care and not his.
The extortion of the Apostle Peter is to cast all your care upon Him for he careth for you. What you care for, care about, and what calls
out at you to care; cast it upon Jesus.
Let him be the one that purges or adds to your life. The one who directs you in the way most
profitable for His kingdom. God does not
want us to hoard care and worry. He
wants to be the holder of all care. Give
it to God, let it go, and let him guide.
