“Going Through Your Stuff...”

I recall when my grandmother passed away. My mother, her sisters, and the granddaughters had the ominous task of sorting through her things.

I was humbled by what I saw. Her Sunday suites and wide selection of hats were stored neatly in her closet. Her recipes were found hidden at the bottom of her cooking utensil drawer. She had new robes and gowns that were never worn. There were the “good towels” and “good dishes” that had never been used. These were to be saved for guests or “someone important.”

Guess what? You are Important.

I recall us sorting through her many albums of photos. The photos that no one knew who was in them or didn’t want were simply thrown away. I am a photo “addict,” having several boxes and many albums of photos from the past. I quietly asked my sister, “Uhm…if I passed away, what would happen to my photo collection?” She firmly stated, “We’d probably keep some that you are in and trash the rest.”  I gasped! She said, “Why would we keep them? We don’t know those people! These moments that you captured don’t really mean anything to anyone but you.”

I learned several lessons from this experience:

• Don’t get all obsessed with material things. You cannot take it with you.
• Instead of focusing on leaving “stuff” that will eventually be of no use, focus on leaving behind kindness, smiles, and good deeds. These will remain forever.
• Be thankful and enjoy what you have…not about what you don’t have.

Look around your home right now. If you died this very moment…what would happen to your “stuff?” Does it really matter???

Matthew 6:19-21(NKJV) says: “19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

My personal goal: One day, when I die, I hope to have left a “warehouse full” of encouragement, LOL moments, kindness, blessings, and good-will that live on for generations to come. When people have to sort through my material possessions, I want everything to have been enjoyed and used…at least once. 

Are you prepared to have someone “go through your stuff?”  
Because, one day, they will...