Dusty Collectables

People collect stuff…

Happy Meal toys, Coke bottles and memorabilia, Precious Moments figurines, spoons from states, salt and pepper shakers, Beanie Babies, fingernail clippings, hubcaps, ticket stubs, Silly Bandz, coffee mugs, baseball cards, belt buckles (I’m pretty sure this list could go on and on).

I saw a program on TV once about a guy in England who collects stuff related to The Simpsons (cartoon). He had tens of thousands of items stored in his home. He actually ran out of room in his home and started filling his attic with Simpsons stuff.

It’s kind of a weird obsession—like an organized, focused version of Hoarders.

I asked my friends about collectables. Here’s what some of them said:

“Ugh—my mom loved collecting things. She even collected shopping bags (she was a little bit crazy).”

“My grandfather collected keys. I also had an uncle who bought out a shoe store and kept them in a spare house.”

“I had an aunt who collected lint from the dryer and cardboard tubes from empty toilet paper rolls. I think she had grand plans to use them in some future craft project.”

Odds are, you either collect something or know someone who has a collection.

Am I right?

Here’s the thing about collectables: they get dusty. They don’t really satisfy. We get them hoping to improve the quality of our lives—but there’s nothing we can do to improve theirs. They’re not alive. They’re just things.

I’m honestly not trying to bash on collecting.

I had a rock collection when I was a kid.

I have a small $2 bill collection now.

Here’s the point I am trying to make about collecting:

The focus of our lives should be more about doing good stuff than collecting stuff.

Remember Solomon?

For 20 years, he did lots of good stuff. Then, he took the next 20 years to collect stuff (actually, women).

When the focus of our lives becomes more about collecting than contributing, we get weird.

We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2.10 NLT)

The verse says, “so we can do the good things…” not “so we can collect lots of things.”

Making a difference, improving people’s lives, contributing, encouraging others, and being a blessing never gets old—and never attracts dust.

Collectables, on the other hand, always get dusty.