Collectibles

My friend Matt is a military historian and collects artifacts associated with US and other military service. Ed was a long-time Civil War enthusiast, visiting all the battlegrounds. He had multiple display cases full of Civil War-era minnie balls and the like. Cornelia, an avid gardener, collects ceramic frog figurines. Diane makes and collects stuffed bears. Her husband Carl collects trains. My wife Janie has angels and bunnies all around the house, though I don't think she has actually admitted to "collecting" them. I admire those who enjoy collecting things and see real value in it. I, on the other hand, don't collect anything that I know of, though as a kid I did try my hand at stamp collecting for awhile. Still, it's amazing how much stuff I have all the same!

For me, papers and folders in file cabinets are the worst. I can't bring myself to go through the arduous task of clearing out old files to make room for more [Who knows when I might need this?], so I just keep figuring out ways to cram more in there. But I wouldn't call any of these items collectibles. They are a semblance of paper trail, I suppose, which is yet another indication of how out of touch I am today. I have filing cabinets in the office, filing cabinets at home. I'm sure if I had a storage unit there would be filing cabinets there, too.

Jesus said: "Lay not up for yourselves treasure on earth..." I realize he wouldn't have anything at all against stamps, or cookbooks, or doll collecting, or even file cabinets. Obviously he was talking about something more fundamental. He was pointing to the tendency to regard all our "stuff" as of ultimate importance. That has the effect of reducing the significance of other loyalties: such as to God, to our loved ones, to life itself. For life is more than stuff.