Riding of collections

Everyone’s seen it. Walk into a house and a collection is apparent as an image is plastered upon the walls and setting in array about the room. The home owner's interest for a particular item is probably one topic of conversation brought to everyone’s attention as they enter the room.

For me, it was anything I deemed sentimental as a teen posted on every inch of my bedroom walls. When in college and after I got married, it was turtles. Turtle figurines, stuffed animals and who knows what else.  I was always captivated by reptiles and since snakes and lizards could become aggressive, I gained a fascination with turtles.

For some people it’s a different animal they love or a certain item that strikes a chord in their life. Either way, this is a common scenario. I’m not saying a collection of sorts is a horrible thing, but one day (don’t remember when), God revealed in my life to no longer spend my time, money and energy on finding space for countless turtle figures.

Aside from the perk of having less to dust (I hate dusting), not focusing on a collection of images freed time, money and energy to be put elsewhere. I no longer had to steer toward turtle merchandise in a store with the conclusion of having to make a purchase. I was free to simply make a comment of liking the turtle candle holder or whatever it was and move on.

This left more money in my husband’s wallet for other necessities in life. Of course, when I decided to get rid of much of my collection in a yard sale, my husband followed suit. He sold nearly all of his pricey John Deere items.

Our next step was convincing others not to lean to these types of purchases during the holidays. For others, buying the first green and yellow John Deere thing they found for a Christmas present was easy. We soon helped others understand John Deere products and turtle figures were unnecessary for our family. Now, when you walk into our home you will see an uncluttered space used for family life and love.

I’m not sharing this to criticize those who through years have built a collection. Many of my family members have such decorations within their homes without harming anyone. However, think about all the money put into a collection or just the space it takes to display or store a collection. When the light bulb came on for me, I hadn’t invested a great deal into my collection, but I am glad looking back I didn’t continue my collection. Those material items aren’t as important as I thought nor will they be carried out of this life. I would rather store up my treasures in Heaven and treasure what I love here on Earth, which is my family and friends.

I want to finish up with some Scripture. In Psalm 115:4-8 the paragraph explains how idols have the appearance of eyes, ears, nose, etc., but they are nonfunctioning. Those who make and believe in such idols are unproductive as well.

So, while a collection of images may not mean life or death for you, be careful not to allow such items to become idols in your home. When someone walks in my house, I don’t want them to be drawn to talk about an immense number of turtles on shelves. Rather, I would enjoy spending my energy discussing more meaningful parts of the life with which God has blessed me.