The Best Things Aren't Things

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        Okay, confession: I love stuff.  Yes, it’s true. Something about crisp school supplies, a cute new skirt, or fuzzy new socks makes me giddy. With billboards and commercials constantly bombarding my vision, telling me I need this or that, it is all too easy to get caught up in things.  Nike tempos. Uggs. A North Face jacket. Yoga pants - I wish I could say I never wasted my time doting and dreaming of holding these things in my possession, but unfortunately it would not be true.
        Then I open my Bible and I see:

“For where your treasure is there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34)
And
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:2)

        Ouch. That's convicting. Yes, I am as guilty of anyone as going after the things of this world. It is a daily struggle to not envy what others have that I do not. 
        Growing up, my parents made it clear that material things are only temporary. I heard it said once that the only thing you get to take with you is what you give, and it's so true. You can't take things with you when you die, but you can take the people you've impacted. My family is not rich. Don't get me wrong, we're definitely  not poor, but we are also far from Gucci, Mustangs, and first class. But we have each other. 





        Family is ugly. It is just rolling out of bed with your hair undone and no makeup. It is mascara running down your face when you cry. It is bringing you a bucket when you are sick. 
        Family is embarrassing. It is your own personal cheer section. It is humiliating moments. It is wearing a mask and running around the block as fast as you can with your ankles tied together in your annual "penguin race", hoping that all of your neighbors are all simultaneously gone (see pictures above) 
        Family is together. It is movie nights. It is laughing around the dinner table. It is sports games and awards ceremonies. It is weddings. It is funerals. It is being there when you would rather be anywhere else. 
        Most of all, family is love. It is picking you up when you trip. It is putting a band-aid on your knee when you fall playing catch in the street. It is forgiving over and over and over again. It is trying to be patient and kind and failing daily, but resolving to try again tomorrow. 
         Yes, family can be ugly and embarrassing, but that's part of what makes it so special. They are the people who know you better than anyone, and love you anyway. We may not have a mansion or yacht or any of those fancy things, but suddenly none of those things seem very important anymore. 
        My family has taught me that the best things in life aren't things at all. It isn't what or how much you have, but who you have to share it with. 

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