which was a special towel set from a nun and on the day of his birthday he decided to give a part of the set to a person who was in need of towels. Later, the nun was a little upset to learn of this news, but his idea was that we should not be so quick to hold onto our possessions, that in such a case do not belong to us if there could be someone in dire need. He even in so many words went on to say that when we have too much of something even down to the clothes in our closet we can be stealing from others who don’t have much at all. Some may disagree with the excess clothes argument but the principle should not be lost.

 

With all of this in mind, things do not always have to be stored away waiting to be passed down to a special person or even generational between family members as a way to deeply give. Sometimes giving is courageously and thoughtfully done in the moment. There are large treasures to keep stowed away for family or relatives but there are also held treasures you can give in the moment. Nothing should become such a gluttonous matter or kept for only our sake. We are living not only for ourselves or our individual families but also living in this world with the rest of God’s children. The journey to heaven is not a solo one or one led by a single family unit but a journey that involves all of us sharing what we have in the world with each other. Things of great value can even be donated to a Church if need be—as Churches themselves do not always hold onto significant pieces throughout the ages.

 

Expression

Try to create a season for change or reconsidering items in your home that are not of any stored use. Be open to the gift of giving with the transfer of ownership as things don’t always have to be permanent in title. Understand that you can’t hold on to every single item that is deemed precious to you. The last thing we want to do is covet which very much aligns against the tenth commandment. Coveting is when we yearn for something that belongs to someone else or your neighbor. People are quick to think that this only means yearning for something they don’t have but sometimes it can be something you already own. If a person that strangely visits your home falls to the ground in need of water, you do not have the right as a Christian to refuse him a glass. Immediately any water filled in that home belongs to him. Remember that maintaining control over anything can feed into our fleshly desires. It can make us become overly possessive. Pay attention that you do not always need to hold onto all and everything. This is how we can become slaves to preservation or anything that was never meant to replace God in the first place.

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