What do you need?

We’re consumers. We are by-products of a lifestyle obsession. . . . What concerns me are celebrity magazines, television with 500 channels, some guy’s name on my underwear. –Chuck Palahniuk


It all happened so quickly. One minute, he was chatting on his cellphone with a friend, keys in one hand and Starbucks in the other, making plans for an upcoming retreat. The next minute, he was picking his way through shattered glass, struck dumb by a world turned on its head.

His house had been broken into. Big time.

The kitchen drawers had been pulled out and dumped. That shattered glass? It used to be the back door. Gone were the family’s three computers, the expensive bicycles, their iPods—even her purse, with her entire identity, was gone, along with the nearly-full jar of change and the neatly organized system for keeping track of cash. He could hardly believe his eyes.

Police were called, credit cards cancelled. Neighbors’ interviews were taken. Amazing how isolated we can become, even in the middle of a busy neighborhood. No one saw anything.

But in the aftermath, as the dust settled, he had a liberating realization: all that stuff was just—stuff. And he obviously had much more stuff than he actually needed. Someone else felt they needed his stuff more than he did.

Take a look around. What stuff do you have that someone else might need more than you do? During this fourth week of Lent, what might you do to change this? How much stuff is enough?

(Thanks to Jeff Shinabarger for his autobiographical story, More or Less, available through David C. Cook e-books.)

Monday On your way to work, school or the mall, pause at the red light and give thanks for those who have faithfully served their country. Psalm 118:22-24

Tuesday Listen today for sounds of the season: schoolchildren at play, bulbs emerging, animals (and people!) getting frisky as spring draws near. Offer thanks for variety in Creation. Genesis 2:4-7

Wednesday Close your eyes for a moment. Listen to your body as you breathe in and out. Feel the miracle of life flowing through your veins. Give thanks. Psalm 139:1-12

Thursday Pray today for children in another part of the world. Ask God to guide your thoughts-- and your actions. Jeremiah 1:4-8

Friday Take a few minutes to look in your closets. Are there items—a winter coat, perhaps—that you no longer need? Where do you have “more than enough”? 2 Corinthians 8:7

Saturday As you pray for yourself today, ask the Lord to reveal the uniqueness of you. Celebrate simply being a beloved child of the Most High. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Sunday Look around you at the beauty and variety of God’s children in this place. Praise God—and welcome one another in love! Acts 17:22-25

If you live for having it all, what you have is never enough. –Vicki Robin




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