Treasures on earth?

17th February, 2010 - Posted by Nancy Winn -

I encountered a book that left a lasting impression on the way I see the world. Material World by Paul Menzel documents 30 typical families from around the world by showing us all their material stuff. Each family is beautifully photographed outside their dwelling with everything they own arrayed around them. In some places the family group is small: parents and children. In many countries the family group includes extended family. The contrast between the haves and the have-nots is stark. The cover photos are of an American family and a family from Bhutan.

I wonder what it would be like to haul all of my family’s stuff outside (hopefully on a day it is not raining here in Oregon) and arrange it so it could be captured in a single photograph. I like to think our family is not focused on stuff yet just the task of putting up and taking down Christmas decorations each year seems like a lot of work.

In Kenya the children in the Open Arms village are settling into their new homes. The homes are beautiful and they don’t have a lot of closet space or a garage. I think it would be a pretty straightforward activity to arrange all their stuff for a picture.

God is pretty clear how he wants us to treat our stuff. It is good to be reminded that it is just stuff and to keep our focus not on earthly treasure but on our treasure in heaven.Material World