The One with the Most Toys...

Not too far from where we live is the home of an older man with many, many toys. Big toys, small toys, toys to pull toys. He had a lot of toys. According to the saying that the one who dies with the most toys wins, he would have won.

photo credit Marchauna Rodgers, all rights reserved. 

The brutal reality, though, is that the one who dies with the most toys still dies. Which is why I'm writing this post. We just found out, through the "grapevine," that this man died, from COVID. His toys are worth nothing to him now.

Our youngest child (who is still very childlike) asked if the man with the toys was in Heaven. We said we didn't know. Though we were not closely acquainted, nothing in our interactions would indicate any sort of religious affiliation, Christian or otherwise. It is sobering to think of this man, so financially comfortable in this life, facing the judgment seat of God, stripped of his toys, his financial superiority, his confidence in his ability to grab life by the tail... it is very sobering indeed. 

It is also an opportunity to reflect on the truth of God's Word. Matthew recorded Jesus' words on the subject in Matthew 6. Focusing more on the fragility of worldly riches than the temporality of human life, Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal..." (Matthew 6:19, ESV). He went on to suggest that our hearts are captive to our treasures, "...where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21, ESV). But it is hard to tell the difference, especially in our culture where success and value are measured even by the appearance of wealth and possessions. 

If material possessions are not the measure of success or value, what is? What metric can we hold on to as we go through life, to find meaning, purpose, and value? Not toys, whatever form those toys make take. According to these articles, it isn't money, or success, or popularity, either. So, what is it? 

Ultimately, the way we can find meaning in life is to first embrace our identity as God's image bearers, then embrace the life God has called us to. 

In the 4th chapter of John's Gospel, he recorded the account of a conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. The particularities of the conversation and the cultural elements that made that conversation so unusual are not key to this post. Suffice it to say that Jesus had a very real conversation, speaking truth in love with such incredible grace that it brought transformation. As the woman headed back to her village (a story all its own), the disciples arrived at the well, having returned from getting food. They encouraged Jesus to eat, to which He responded, "I have a kind of food you know nothing about... My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work" (John 4:32b, 34b).

I've been thinking a lot about Jesus' comments to His disciples. He didn't need toys, or stuff, or even food! All He needed was to do what God told Him to do. Wow. 

Going back to the gentleman who recently entered into eternity without any of the toys he worked so hard to accumulate. None of those toys, nor the work that made them possible, could provide the satisfaction Jesus experienced. To describe it another way, none of those abundant possessions could lead to true "flourishing." 

 As I re-read this post, I realized I've been all over the place; toys, success, the meaning of life. Heady, complex stuff. Ultimately, though, maybe we make things too hard. Jesus didn't do that. He just did what His Father wanted Him to do. It was that simple. Yes, I know, we don't necessarily know what we're supposed to do and there are competing voices vying for our attention. It is easy to chase dying with the most toys instead of truly flourishing. But Jesus flourished, and the one who dies with the most toys still dies. I want to flourish. I want to experience the joy, delight, and satisfaction that comes from doing what I'm supposed to do... someone else can keep the toys.