It's easy to say, "I don't worry about stuff," especially after reading what Jesus has to say about it:  ²⁸“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, ²⁹yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. ³⁰And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? But actually not worrying about stuff is a challenge in our culture.

Why did I write, "...in our culture."?  Because, I've spent time in other cultures, specifically third world cultures where no one has very much stuff, and the folks there are far less occupied with stuff than most of us.  The one thing I've heard over and over again from folks who have traveled on missions trips to third world countries is, "I don't understand how they can be so happy when they don't have anything."  Jesus gave us the answer to that statement:  ¹⁵Then He [Jesus] said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”  When we assume that life is measured by the abundance of our stuff, we're confused when those who don't have much stuff are happy.  Jesus' clarity about life not being measured by how much we own, assures us that worrying about stuff is particularly futile--why worry about that which isn't a measure of life in the first place?

The key is to know what IS the measure of life.  According to Jesus the measure of life is to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  It doesn't take stuff to do that!  Stuff can help us show love to God and others, but we can love God and others without any stuff at all.  Take a moment right now to consider this:  Do I use stuff to show others the love of God, as well as my love for them, or do I use stuff to give me a sense of security?  If it's the first reason, stuff won't lead us to worry.  If it's the second reason, stuff will always lead us to worry, since relying on stuff to give us security is a false use of stuff.  Stuff is a tool, not a savior.  Jesus is our Savior, not a tool.  (Tool here is intended in the meaning of an implement used to accomplish a task such as a screwdriver or wrench is a tool used in mechanical work!)  As you pause to reflect, if stuff is in its proper place in your life, praise God!  If it isn't, petition God to change your focus and to put Jesus first in your life, right now.