WHAT TO HOLD ONTO

Jesus, help me to carefully decide which of my things to keep or give away! Amen.

"The kingdom of heaven is like a farmer who planted wheat in his fields," Jesus taught. "When his workers founds weeds growing in the wheat, the man said, 'If you pull them up now, you might pull the wheat up with them. Wait until harvest time, and then you can pull everything up and throw the weeds away.'"

Summer is a great time to do all sorts of things you're too busy for during the school year -- like rearranging your bedroom. You might look around your room and suddenly think, "I want to get rid of everything from school;" or, "I'm sick of stuffed animals!"

If you're not using some things, it's good to pass them on to someone who might. But this week's Gospel (Matthew 13:24-43) warns people not to just toss everything without thinking about it: You might end up losing something you really value.

In the Gospel story, the farmer Jesus is talking about is really God, who lets "weeds and wheat" -- good people and struggling ones -- grow together in the world. It's not until "harvest time," when people go to heaven, that God looks at their whole lives.

Like God waits to see how people turn out, it's a good idea to really look at your stuff before you just throw it away.

Maybe you're tired of stuffed animals -- but do you want to give away even your favorite teddy bear? Maybe you feel like crayons are for younger kids -- but should you throw them away before you have markers to color with instead? If you get rid of everything, will you end up wanting to buy the same stuff again?

No one would tell a farmer he had to save every weed in his field. You don't have to save everything you've ever owned. But it's important to think about what you're giving away before you decide it doesn't deserve a second chance.

(07/17/08)