How much do you agree with Bonhoffer's assessment of possession of stuff?
"The main concern is not whether or not I have any worldly goods, but that I should possess goods as if I did not possess them, and inwardly I should be free of them."
- I agree with the basic point. I work at an AutoParts store and a customer needed to rent a tool but did not have enough money. I lent him the money since he would get it back when he returned the tool. Well he came back while I was there but I was busy with a customer outside. He did not return the money which bothered me more than I thought it would. But I was able to work through the issue. Learned a little bit more of while it feels good to do the right thing, it can still hurt when others take advantage.
- Great example. Thanks for the Story Dennis. I'll add one from my life. My wife and I were serving the church on a church planting team, poor and busy. We were directing a coffee shop ministry and one of the volunteers stole from us. It was heart breaking. Then someone stole a laptop from our offices. My wife and I really struggled with frustration and anger. Nearly 10 years later, with a decade of life experience and more than enough STUFF for our family, it is a bit easier to realize the fleeting nature of money and stuff. God is still working on my heart though, as we now have kids who like to bounce on the new couch, or don't take care of stuff the way I think they should. You can only serve one master! :) Jesus is the king of all stuff, and he gives it freely, asking us to hold it with open and generous hands. It's for enjoying, giving, and using for the greater good, that he grants us anything to possess temporarily. Thanks Bonhoeffer for the reminder to be inwardly free from attachment to these things, and to look up the beams of blessings to God the Sun who gives them.
