Tangled Up In A Mess
Do you know what one of the fastest growing industries in North America
is over the last 15 years? Grossing more than 22 billion dollars in 2005
in the U.S., and boasting of millions of square feet of building space,
the "storage locker industry" has benefited from our consumer
driven economy.
Over the last 35 years rental facilities have sprung up in large
numbers with storage units of all sizes. Even though the average size of a
new home in the last 15 years has increased, it appears we still need more
space.
Another aspect of the storage industry that has taken off of late is
the personal warehouse that can be erected all by yourself in your own
back yard over the span of just one weekend. Prefab buildings can be put
together like a giant puzzle by any amateur builder, or so they say.
Just imagine, you can have your own personal warehouse. I can see it
now. Your computer’s data base is full of all your stored stuff and is
linked to a robot in your warehouse that takes this stuff from a shelf at
your request. The robot places these things on a conveyer system and
shoots your request through an underground tunnel into your basement. Now
that sure beats digging around your basement every Christmas, trying to
figure out where you put the Christmas tree and all the boxes of
decorations.
I don’t think it’s any secret that the pursuit of affluence and
abundance in western society is growing at a feverish pace. The
accumulation of wealth gives birth to the craving to possess even more
than we presently have.
A feeling of freedom sweeps over us as we clear out our homes and put
our excess into a rented storage locker. This feeling of freedom is soon
replaced by a heavy weight as the new found empty space is once again
filled with new things. That’s why I’m beginning to feel a little
reluctant about getting rid of my stuff because if I do, it’ll only be
replaced by someone’s else’s stuff.
Do you know what Heb. 12:1 says?
The
NIV reads, "…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin
that so easily entangles … " The KJV reads , "let us lay aside
every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us…" For once I
like the KJV with its use of the word "weight".
So what’s a weight? In context the writer is comparing our Christian
life to a race. If we want to finish the race, we certainly don’t run
wearing winter coats and boots.
A weight is anything that burdens us down and prohibits us from
"running the race" successfully. These burdensome weights can be
physical – maybe smoking or eating too much. They can be emotional –
maybe undue negativity. They can also be material – as in too much
stuff.
Have you ever noticed the cause of much of our stress in daily life is
from the things we possess? The car has a strange noise. I wonder how much
that will cost? A fuse just blew because we had the microwave, toaster
oven, hot plate, coffee machine, and kitchen stereo on all at the same
time. The internet is slow because everyone in the house is downloading
massive files at the same time. We spend a lot of time, money and energy
maintaining the things we possess and just as much time, money and energy
shopping for more.
With this in mind do you think it’s at all interesting that the words
"weight" and "sin" are associated with each other in
the same sentence? Both sin and weights hinder us from being productive in
God’s Kingdom.
There’s another interesting word that the NIV uses in this verse and
it’s the word "entangled". I’ve got this 100 foot extension
cord that I put away nice and neat every time I use it, but for the life
of me, I can’t figure out why it’s all tangled up the next time I
reach for it. It takes forever to work out the knots and sometimes the end
of the cord flies back and hits me in the face. Beside hurting, I find
this very irritating, but this is what being entangled is all about. It’s
being caught up in a mess which hinders us from doing the task at hand. A
tangled extension cord does not allow me to cut the lawn until I spend the
15 minutes untangling the cord.
Could it be possible that we are tangled up in a mess of abundance, and
that’s why we’re not as effective for Jesus as we wish we were. I’m
talking on a personal level here, but the same could apply to church life
as well.
This is just something to think about. I like my things as much as the
next guy. You can consider what I say and the Lord give you the
understanding in all things.
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