“Don’t store up treasures here on earth where they can erode away or may be stolen. Store them in heaven where they will never lose their value and are safe from thieves.

If your profits are in heaven, your heart will be there too.”

Matthew 6:19-20 (TLB)

Every year, wildfires rage, floodwaters rise, and hurricane force winds wreak havoc on many communities in this country. And every year, hundreds of families lose their homes: homes that become fuel for flames or sit helplessly as water overtakes or winds destroy. It makes us sad for the families who lose most of their belongings, and it leads us to take a good look around at our own stuff. Which stuff would we grab if we had only minutes to evacuate, knowing that everything we left behind would be destroyed?

Sometimes it takes natural disasters, or heartbreaking loss, to shake us right out of our greed, and to wake us up from our seemingly insatiable appetites for more and more stuff. No matter where we look, there is more to see, more to crave, more to desire. But the more we get, the more we want. The more stuff we own, the greater our dissatisfaction. It’s as if our hearts are numbed by the excessive piles of belongings we already own, and we mistakingly believe that more stuff will bring it back to feeling joyful again. So we buy more and we make excuses: “Everyone else has one”, “It will make me happy”, or “I would be perfectly happy giving it all away”. Except we wouldn’t, so we don’t.

As much as you may hate to admit it, whatever treasures you hold, are what holds your heart. Whether you work to build a large savings account or simply a large wardrobe, your heart will be there, too. God doesn’t want your stuff; He wants your heart. Pull it out from under all the stuff that has it buried deep, and hand it over. The struggles in your life, the times you lean into Jesus, will bring you true treasures of love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, and gratitude straight to heaven. They are the only ones that last—and the only ones that will meet you there. You are loved!