Possessions

And [Jesus] said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” – Luke 12:15 (NRSV) 

While looking for a birth certificate for one of my kids, I came across an appraisal dated before my mother’s death in 1993. All the family jewels, such as they were, had been valued, and in the margin were some handwritten notes from my mother noting whose rings had been whose, or to whom they had been given, annotated later by I don’t know who.  

My mind flew back to 1997, when my father died, and my brother and I had to figure out what to do with the accumulated belongings of both parents and their mothers. In my mother’s dresser drawer was an old Ann Landers column about children dividing their parents’ possessions, a note in the margin stated her wish that we choose in turn. On the day we walked through the house, I felt surprised and aggrieved that my brother arrived with a list, but I learned later that he felt limited by statements I had made about particular things I wanted.  

When Jesus was asked to settle a dispute about an inheritance, he offered the warning in Luke 12:15. I’m sitting at my parents’ dining room table as I type this, on one of their chairs, with my feet on a rug from their house. My brother’s home, too, holds many reminders of their home, our home. I feel compassion for younger us, both in our thirties, trying to make good decisions about an enormous load of material things, perhaps each feeling like the other wanted too much.  

There was more than enough to go around. 

Prayer
Help us, O God, to know how much is enough. Amen.

About the Author
Martha Spong is a UCC pastor, a clergy coach, and editor of The Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle, from The Pilgrim Press.