It's not the stuff that matters

I watched my neighbor's house catch on fire and burn yesterday.  All I could do was offer a lawn chair and a glass of water to our neighbor as she sat and watched as the fire fighters fought to save her home and those around it.  She clung to the cordless phone rendered useless by the fire recalling how it wouldn't work when she tried to call 911.  It was an awful helpless feeling.  As I watched time seemed to stop.  Flames shot high into the air and we could feel the heat from our porch as the dry trees above her home burst into flames.   I couldn't help but think about all those memories that were burning along with the house.  After over an hour and a half the firemen had the fire under control but water from their hoses was pouring out of the rafters and the upstairs.  What wasn't burned was surly flooded.  This dear woman retold the story over and over as friends arrived.  One thing in particular that she said really caught my attention.  "You know how you always wonder what you could grab if you could only take a handful of things with you?"  "I didn't take anything...not even my shoes."  She went on to say that they would be fine they had family nearby and many church friends and as the fire raged on she was confident that she would be cared for.

Later as I reflected on the horror of the day I thought about how it is not the stuff that matters.  It could all be gone in an instant.  It could be taken while we are still on this earth and if not, we most definitely don't get to take it with us to eternity.  So why is our stuff so important?  In this fallen world our stuff is what defines us.  In eternity we stand alone without our stuff in front of our Heavenly Father and we answer for what we have done and what relationships we have nurtured or ignored here on this earth.  It is not about what we have...it is about who we loved.   Thank you dear neighbor for reminding me what is important even in the midst of your tragedy.  I pray God blesses you.

So, what would I take with me if I only had a moment...

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.   Mathew 6:19-21