As one travels about this rather large city and area that we occupy, they will observe that more and more storage buildings are cropping up very regularly. I have recently observed that a new model of storage facility is now being constructed. They are no longer large areas with long white buildings containing storage sections for rent. These new buildings are very nice looking and they appeal to the eye. Colorful, convenient and safe are these new structures. I remember when a friend of mine constructed the first storage facility in our area and now they are on every street and corner it seems. Need to store some stuff? You will have no problem finding a place to do it in the Augusta, GA area.
I have seen the inside of some of the sections in storage facilities and guess what? They are filled to capacity with very little room to place even one more item. It seems that American families possess a lot more than they could ever use. In addition to that, if one wants to look at a mess, just visit the inside of a few of your friend’s garages. They have no where to park their automobiles and that is what the garage was made for. The cars stay outside while stuff they have not used in ages is safely stored away. One little path leads from the outside to the back door of the house so that people can find a war around all the stuff of life to get inside. Most every piece of this life junk is never used. In fact, most people have forgotten what they really possess. And, I might add, that much of what is in storage was bought with credit cards and the people don’t remember purchasing those things. Just remember this: If you store something, you are admitting that you no longer have a use for it. It will be forgotten in no time and will be sitting in a storage building making he owner of that facility rich.
A man came to me once wanting advice about his debt problems. He told me rather sheepishly that his real problem was that he had large credit card debt and that he owed $88,000 on credit cards. I asked him if he could put his finger on any of the things he had purchased with those cards. He pondered for a minute and finally said that he could not place a finger on anything he had bought. But, at the same time he was under this crushing weight of debt.
If we could calculate and convert the value of all of the stuff in storage buildings, garages and attics into cash, we would be able to make a discernable impact on the national debt. I have often wondered is those storage facilities are full. I looked into that question and all the storage buildings in the U.S. are 92% occupied. That would be considered full in my book. So, we can be confident of one thing: Americans have far more that they could ever use so they spend various amounts squirreling away the stuff they have purchased and forgotten about. Believe it or not, money has been found in many storage buildings. The most found in a unit was $7.5 million! That is beyond the ability for one to conceive. Imagine having so much that you would store money in a storage building. Unbelievable!
Do you think God is pleased with people behaving in such a way. It proves that they have heaped riches upon themselves. God, in His Word, says that He will provide for His people. He does not say that He will make a person rich and give them so much they have to store it. He says that He will provide for His people. He will give them what they need to live and provide for their families if they will be devoted to Him. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:11-12 that he had learned “that in whatever state I am, in this to be content.” And, then in verse 12 he says that he knows how to be abased and also to abound. In other words, Paul was not trusting in himself but in God to order his life. We are as far removed from that frame of mind as the East is from the West. In our society, we have learned to take care of ourselves and to give ourselves anything and everything that crosses our minds. If we want it; then go get it. Flash the plastic and purchase whatever is our fancy. That is a dangerous way to live economically and it also betrays the fact that we really do not trust God to take care of us. God never said that He will give us anything we want but that He will take care of His people and give them what they need. There is a world of difference in the two.
There is a very pointed passage of scripture to which we can refer in reference to all of this. It is found in Luke 12:16-20 there is a warning from the Lord Himself about providing for oneself instead of trusting God. The rich fool was going to tear down his barns and build bigger ones to store more for himself. He said to himself: “Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease. Eat, drink and be merry.” Then God said to him in v.20 what He could say to people who heap everything they can upon themselves when he said, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be, which thou has provided? God has brought another thought: Who is going to take care of all the stuff people have stored up when they are gone? Something to think about isn’t it children?
I want it to be understood that I am not condemning people for their actions concerning possessions. I am merely pointing out some things that God says about it and some things which it would be wise to consider from a common sense perspective. I simply want to make a few Observations on Possessions.
