Read: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
There is so much to unpack in this passage – the importance of giving with humility, not getting puffed up or showing off when fasting or praying. The thing that resonates with me as I read and meditate on this, though, is Matthew 6: 16-22 about storing up treasures in heaven rather than here on earth. I, like many in this country, have a problem with “stuff”. No matter how hard I try, it seems that things just accumulate in my house, my car, my office. Pretty much wherever there is space. I know this is not good in terms of ecology - the fact that many natural resources and energy are used in the making and transporting of these things and then there is also the problem of disposing of them when their useful lifespan is over – which takes less and less time since most things are made these days to use briefly, throw them away, and get another. It’s not good in terms of the people that are caught up in the making of these things, many of which are forced to work in unsafe situations for little – or sometime no – pay. It’s not good for my budget, for when I spend money on things that I can’t really use I am not spending it on things that really matter. Most of all, it is not good for me spiritually, for all of these things – the purchasing of them, the sorting and clearing them, the disposal of them – takes my time and attention away from God.
I pray that in this season of Lent and beyond, I can remember these things and keep myself away from the temptation of buying new “stuff” that, in the end, does harm to the earth, to the people of the earth, and to myself. Rather, let me store up only heavenly treasures. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
Martha Shrader
There is so much to unpack in this passage – the importance of giving with humility, not getting puffed up or showing off when fasting or praying. The thing that resonates with me as I read and meditate on this, though, is Matthew 6: 16-22 about storing up treasures in heaven rather than here on earth. I, like many in this country, have a problem with “stuff”. No matter how hard I try, it seems that things just accumulate in my house, my car, my office. Pretty much wherever there is space. I know this is not good in terms of ecology - the fact that many natural resources and energy are used in the making and transporting of these things and then there is also the problem of disposing of them when their useful lifespan is over – which takes less and less time since most things are made these days to use briefly, throw them away, and get another. It’s not good in terms of the people that are caught up in the making of these things, many of which are forced to work in unsafe situations for little – or sometime no – pay. It’s not good for my budget, for when I spend money on things that I can’t really use I am not spending it on things that really matter. Most of all, it is not good for me spiritually, for all of these things – the purchasing of them, the sorting and clearing them, the disposal of them – takes my time and attention away from God.
I pray that in this season of Lent and beyond, I can remember these things and keep myself away from the temptation of buying new “stuff” that, in the end, does harm to the earth, to the people of the earth, and to myself. Rather, let me store up only heavenly treasures. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
Martha Shrader