Rocks in My Pockets

Have I ever told you about my kids' obsession with rocks? Recently its shifted to sea glass, or just tiny bits of broken glass. But it started with the rock collections. On our porch railing there is a collection. In a bucket in the garage, and another bucket in the back yard. And in their pockets. Especially Shelly's. Given E's tendency to throw everything, the rocks inside the house seem like a major threat now. He picks up a rock, I fear for the tv screen. And my own safety. Sometimes I find a lone rock in the bottom of the washing machine. Thankfully never in the dryer (yet).

Do you ever wonder at what point the collection becomes a burden? I've found Shelly's winter coat stuffed full of rocks in every pocket. She loves to collect these pretty little things, but what about the weight? Doesn't it pull her downward? Of course they're added just one small rock at a time, so perhaps she doesn't notice. The thing about the rocks is that the kids will (maybe) outgrow them. But we, generally, all of us people, don't outgrow collecting, do we? We all have them, the collections. Furniture, books, shoes... Pictures. Pictures printed, pictures stored in some forgotten folder in the back corner of the computer memory. But isn't it just more stuff to carry around?

I sometimes wonder what it would look like to really just keep the most important things. And give away the rest. Not keep the "I might use this someday" stuff, or the, "I KNOW I'll need that in five years" or "this doesn't fit me anymore but maybe it will again someday." Or what if, instead of thinking that even my pictures are so precious that I'm willing to spend hours organizing and lots of money saving them, I just left them alone. Or gave away the shoes I NEVER wear, or quit trying to talk myself into thinking that dress will fit me again someday.

Sometimes the things that fill our house cease to feel like they're part of our roots of a firm foundation, and start to feel like vines creeping and entangling us into this world. All of these things. Are they choking back the freedom we have to really follow Jesus?

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
~ 1 Timothy 6:6-11