Getting Rid of Stuff

Center, Joe Hawley, recently retired after spending eight seasons in the NFL. He's now heading across the United States in a souped-up van in hopes of visiting 48 states in six months.

Hawley plans to live out of his van and embrace a minimalist lifestyle. According to the story on ESPN.com, “He wants to free himself from the excess, to live in the moment and to figure out who he is away from football, which is all he has known for most of his life.”

Before packing up his van, Hawley sold and gave away most of his possessions - including his fancy car, luxurious furniture, and 70 percent of his closet.

He said, "If it doesn't fit in my van, I'm giving it away. I thought about putting it in storage when I'm on the road, but I kind of want to start over when I'm done with the trip and have a fresh start, so I decided to give it all away...I don't need a lot of things to be happy.

"Every time I've gotten rid of stuff over the last few weeks, I've literally felt a weight lifted off of my shoulders. It's kind of unraveling these chains that you have that lock you down in this place. I kind of want to feel that freedom of not having anything holding me back."

Hawley's decision is admirable and how his journey turns out will be fascinating to hear. We may not want to do exactly what he's doing, but we can be inspired to take an inventory of our own lives.

Most of us probably have way too much stuff. More clothes than we can wear, more books than we can read, and more movies than we have time to watch. Along with what we already own, we're driven to have the latest technology, a newer TV, a nicer car, and trendier furniture.

Although these "things" aren’t necessarily bad, all too often they distract us, hold us back, and consume us. We end up being focused on the wrong stuff...and it's just stuff!

The Bible warns us about placing too much value on the things of this world. Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT) says, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

In other words, when our hearts and minds are focused on God, we care about what He cares about and aren’t so entangled with possessions that don’t truly satisfy. When we let go of stuff and regard Jesus as our treasure, our desires change and we live with greater freedom.

This also means getting rid of the sin that holds us back, so “...let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” (Hebrews 12:1 - ESV).

Today, let's be inspired to do a spring cleaning in all areas of our lives. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray I would live in freedom and not be bogged down by stuff or sin. Please remove anything that’s holding me back. I pray that I would be focused on storing up treasures in heaven and not be distracted by frivolous earthly things. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.