I was STUFFED.
I had eaten so much; there was no room to even breathe. Our anniversary celebration at a fondue restaurant was a rare treat. From the steaming pot in the center of our table, we drew bite after bite of delectable veggies, succulent meats and mouth-watering desserts. It was the source of pure joy—or so we thought.
After about 20 bite-size pieces of decadence too many, we were miserable. A moment that should have left us satisfied and completely full rendered us feeling gross and miserable.
Stuffed With Food=Stuffed With Stuff
As we sat down to the sumptuous meal it was no doubt, a beautiful spread. Granted, it was a fondue experience, so the meat was RAW—yet it was so beautifully placed on the plates ready for us to dip into the boiling pot.
Boil…Eat…Repeat. Boil…Eat…Repeat. Until all was consumed. In the end, we had nothing to show for the dining experience other than a fat bill and an equally fat gut.
We began ravenously hungry and ended up totally miserable. And oddly, about 12 hours later, we could have repeated the entire process, AGAIN.
Enter the world of STUFF. Things that should satisfy us often leave us feeling miserable. Or gross. Or overwhelmed. Or… And the truth is, no amount of stuff (or food) will ever fully satisfy.

World<Soul
Matthew 16:26 says this, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” There are so many things from our own lives we can apply in this verse:
What will it profit if I gain all the food that I want and yet lose my own soul?
What will it profit if I gain all the money that I want and yet lose my own soul?
What will it profit if I gain all the toys, fun and adventure I want and yet lose my own soul?
What will it profit if I gain all the blessings, safety and comforts I want and yet lose my own soul?
ANSWER?
NOTHING. Comforts, adventures, food, money—STUFF—will be of no use. Zero. Because like Grandma always says, “Ya ain’t takin’ it with ya!”
The stuff that matters so much in the now, doesn’t really matter that much in the end. So, where does that leave us?

It leaves us to view things as God does. Does God bless us with stuff? Absolutely. He gives us good gifts all the time. (Luke 11:13) And we humans require provisions to make it in this life. But I can say with all certainty stuff isn’t what God cares about the most.
In Matthew 16:22, Jesus begins showing the disciples He will suffer, be killed then raised. And Peter, true to form, throws a little hissy-fit. He says, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”
Well-meaning Peter wants to preserve Jesus here on earth, but Jesus corrects him saying, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (emphasis added)
Woah. Peter loved Jesus and didn’t want harm to come to Him. That is a good thing right? Even a “God” kind of thing, right?? Apparently not. Not when it is motivated by a human mindset.
Often, good stuff can even be a hindrance to a Godly mindset. And those things profit us zippo, nada, zilch.
No wonder we feel so bad when we’re stuffed! Stuffed after an extravagant meal, stuffed to the brim with earthly possessions, even stuffed with ideas that God would surely approve of…
Everything always boils down to this: Jesus’ suffering, death and rising from the grave is what matters most. Period.
It is ours to set our minds on the things of God. To set our minds to filter everything through the lens of the Gospel. It starts with a thought that this world isn’t all there is, but all that’s in the world can be used to point us and others to the cross.
Then we can moved from “stuffed” to fulfilled in Christ.
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How do you struggle with the burden of stuff?
What ways can you change your mindset about stuff to think about it with a kingdom focus?
How has this posted encouraged you today? 🙂
Linking up with Suzanne Eller, #LiveFreeThursday, Kelly Balraie #RaraLinkup, Arabah Joy Grace and Truth
Photo Credit:
Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/en/chaos-room-untidy-dirty-messy-627218/
https://pixabay.com/en/fondue-swiss-fondue-cheese-708186/