Scripture

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves breakin and steal.”

~Matthew 6:19, NASB

Quote

Never exalt your opinion above the word of God. His word is inspired, your opinion is not.

~Max Anders

Max Anders, who wrote the commentary on Proverbs in the Holman Commentary, tells the story about Garbage Mary. She lived in Delray Beach, Florida and appeared to be a homeless derelict wandering the streets and picking up things that others had thrown away. Actually Mary had a two room apartment which became her warehouse for all her stuff. There was only one chair in her apartment and it was in the kitchen. Other than a small spot at the table, the floors were covered with junk that Mary had brought home. She saved every thing and got rid of nothing. There were mounds of stinking stuff piled on her stove, refrigerator, table and even in her bath tub which obviously she did not use. Everyone thought she was a poor beggar, but after her death, police filtered through the junk in her apartment and this is what they found:

• Mobil Oil stock worth $400,000
• Deeds to an oil field in Kansas
• Stock in US Steele, Uniroyal, and Squibb
• Eight Pass Book savings accounts and all containing large sums of money

Garbage Mary was a wealthy millionaire and yet she lived like a pauper. It happens all the time. People become obsessed with hoarding. I don’t think they even realize what is happening but slowly they become misers and they pinch every single penny. They are surrounded by people they could help. They have multiple opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others, but they lose their ability to give, to let go of their wealth. Of course that is only one side of the Mary saga, the other side is the miserable way she lived. She could have eaten at Big Mike’s or Ruth keep it Crisp every night of the week. She could have entertained her neighbors. She could have made a difference for some child at St. Judes but she choose to hoard. What a shame!

Extra

It was 67 degrees when I came to the office and I think it will get even cooler as the week goes by. I did notice that they took most of the rain out of the forecast but it is highly unlikely that we would get enough to catch up before November or December.

Courtney Taylor is at home. She has a hospital bed and hospice is coming daily. She was resting peacefully when Joe David and I were there yesterday.

I hope you had a happy Labor Day. Thank you for reading the blog and have a good day.