All That Stuff

Recently, I was invited to be part of a meeting that featured two politicians each sharing their dreams for the state, their opinions about what needs to be done, and their faith journeys.

I was the most interested in listening to them relay the story of their faith journey.

One of them went into great detail about his faith journey, from his parents' influence to who he is today.

The other one, well, did not quite grasp the question.

Here is my unofficial transcript:

Question: Tell us about your spiritual journey?

Answer: Well ... uhm ... I don't know ... I mean, I believe in God, Jesus and all that stuff."

Uh-oh.

Stuff.

All that stuff.

Faith is more than "stuff." It's about a life-changing relationship. It is about a commitment where everything else comes second to pleasing God. It is about surrendering my dreams for God's dreams for me.

Have we gotten to the point in our society where we actually think we can reduce God to our terms and our desires?

I don't believe in stuff. I believe in a Savior.

My stuff leads to clutter.

My Savior leads to freedom.