Over the last two decades we have seen self-storage units popping up all over our landscape. According to statista.com, the leading self-storage company in the US is Public Storage, which generated over 2.5 billion dollars in 2020. They also state self-storage space in the USA increased to reach almost 60 million square feet in 2020. So, it is not your imagination that it appears these units are everywhere, for in fact, they are.
Now why would someone rent a storage unit? Maybe they are moving and have not settled into their new place. However, the most common reason is they have too much material items for the space they are living. They rent a unit to put their goods in as it won’t fit in their residence.
We have a huge demand for goods in the U.S. In fact, we often ask the question and daydream what we would do if we won the lottery. What would we purchase? Our focus has become those with the most toys wins.
Our desire to accumulate goods has even strained friendships and families. Bitterness and anger tears relationships apart when desiring goods from a deceased persons estate. Many siblings have quit talking to each other over feeling slighted when the inheritance was divvied out.
This is not a new phenomenon. During the days Jesus walked the earth someone asked Him to “speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.” (Luke 12:13-21) In response to this, Jesus gave the parable of a rich man who had a great harvest. Due to having so much in the harvest he wondered what he should do? He decided he would tear down his barns and build bigger barns for all the harvest. This way he would be able to take it easy for years to come. How many of us have dreamed of just such a scenario? This situation appears to be the ultimate prize for someone in life.
However, Jesus called this man a “fool” as he would die that night and questioned who would then have this man’s goods? Isn’t it interesting what we take a lifetime accumulating only takes the auctioneer a few hours to sell off? Jesus brought this to their attention that once a person passes away, those things are divided out to others.
Not only that, but this man was not rich towards God. How often we see a focus on the material things of this world and attaining wealth in this life. We plan and study for vacations, major purchases, and retirement, yet do not put any time into eternity.
In Mark 8:36-37, Jesus begs the question, “what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Are we focusing so much on items of this world which we need to store away off our property and are losing out with God? Have we traded our eternity with God for the temporary things of the world? If the answer is yes, what are we to do? Let us refocus our lives on what really matters and start reading God’s Word with renewed passion.
