Is Our Stuff Really Ours?

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1 NIV)

You may have heard it in an annual sermon on giving at church: everything we have and everyone on earth is God’s, not ours. The beautiful thing is, it’s true! Our belongings are essentially on loan from our gracious Creator. The real question is, do we live as though we know it’s true? What does it mean for how we live in relationship to our possessions? For how we live in relationship with those we love?

I started learning this lesson in relationship to those I love after the tragedy of Sandy Hook. As I sent my then kindergartener off to school the next day, I had a choice to make. Would I consider her mine and mine alone? Or did I understand she was God’s child first and mine second? I made a decision then and there to remember to hold my precious children with an open hand. They are God’s, and I want him to do what he wishes with them, even if it’s not what I want and causes them or me pain. It still hurts me to write that now, years later. But it’s a truth I choose to believe and walk in. It’s a hard daily choice. Some days I still clench my hand around my kids.

Of course, I take some basic precautions as a mother. I buckle them into their car seats and don’t let them run around on busy streets. But I truly believe God is in control. I don’t need to pretend I am, because how silly would that be? I’d try to control life so much differently, and that would ultimately mess up everything in comparison to God’s beautiful plans.

A quick note to those of you who have lost a little one or another loved one too soon: I know the pain of miscarriage, but not the pain of saying good-bye to a child I’ve held in my arms. I know the pain of losing my mother-in-law, but not the pain of losing a parent at a young age. I cannot and will not pretend to understand your pain, even if your circumstances are similar to mine. We all experience grief differently. Cruel and terrible events happen in this world, and we won’t understand why this side of heaven. I don’t understand, but I acknowledge your pain and grief.

Now that we’ve addressed God’s sovereignty as it relates to the loved ones in our lives, let’s move on to the lighter topic of material possessions. God has me on a journey here too. I’m a firstborn. I am a classic Type A. I’m a rule follower, generally, and I like order in my home. There was a time when I would be upset when someone broke or mistreated one of the possessions in my home. And some of those feelings are completely natural, especially regarding mistreatment. That kind of behavior from others is a sign of disrespect and isn’t okay.

But God has called my family to church planting and hospitality. We invite our neighbors into our home (including their children) at least monthly. We also have a monthly church gathering in our home. We’re small, so childcare isn’t always upstairs in the playroom. Items get broken or put in the wrong place. But God has given me such grace for that now. Believe me, it’s all God. That is not my personality! He has truly taught me that everything is his, and if a toy gets broken, I think it’s unlikely God is losing sleep over it.

He was also very present (however, not in the way we had hoped) in our house hunt. We moved to the location where we’re planting our church in April of last year. As we searched for a house, I begged God to be clear on where he wanted us. I actually asked him many times to send down a Hunger Games parachute with a note containing the address where he wanted us. Please hide your shock, but he didn’t choose to do that. We bathed our decision in so much prayer, but God was silent. Finally, we made the best possible decision based on how we felt led to use the house as well as our wish list. I believe God ultimately blessed us with a location and a floor plan that can be used for him. We have a second master bedroom we pray can be used (and already has been) to share with those in need; single moms are especially on our hearts for that room. And the home is functional for our little church plant, with ample space in the living room and a large playroom upstairs for the kids.

Remembering it’s all his helps us frame so many decisions and reactions. Of course, we made some improvements to the house simply because of our own preferences. But so many of our decisions are framed around how we can better use our home for God. For example, we took out the eat-in kitchen area and made it part of our living room so we can accommodate more people there for our church gatherings.

When we remember our stuff is his and not ours, our hearts remain in a kingdom perspective.

Amy Wiebe is a Jesus follower, wife, mom of three, church planter, finance director, and lover of sarcasm and deep conversation with friends. She also loves camping, rafting, skiing, sewing, and having people over. Amy blogs with her husband at fringechurch.com.