King David said, "For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow,…" (1 Chronicles 29:15). I like this thought. It tells me how to approach each day and to use the day to advance the kingdom in every way possible. Shadows change as the light of the sun moves across the earth. So do the times and seasons of our lives. If we are connected to God and tuned to the world as it is we can use our life to do God's will and fulfill our purpose.

I had this verse in mind in recent days as my wife and moved into a new home in a new state to take up new duties in the media department of the United Church of God. 

This move for us, without any exaggeration, has been a life changer.

It is the first move we have made in twenty-one years. You accumulate a lot of stuff in that time. Before the move we held a garage sale, donated items to Goodwill and gave a lot of things away. We trashed stuff that we no longer needed and thought we had things pared down pretty well. Now that we are unloaded in our new location I realize we still need to unload stuff. 

I'm thinking, "why did we move all this"? "Do we really need all this stuff to live?"

So, now I am packing another box for the Salvation Army and marking items for a garage sale at the first sign of spring. And I find myself wondering just how much do I really need to live a happy life? We spend years accumulating clothing, furniture, electronics, tools and things that are "good deals, items we really need and can't pass up or things we buy that we think will make us complete and happy. We mark our identity by the value and style of our possessions. 

But do "things" truly define a life? It is a mark of maturity when we can honestly ask ourselves that question.

I am not ready to sell or give everything away and live in a spare one room cabin in the woods without contact with the world. We are modern creatures of habit and comfort. I make my living with and among people who do the same. We are connected in many ways in today's world. No one I know is ready to go to a less technological lifestyle. We use technology to express the words of eternal life and teach the gospel of the kingdom of God.

But it is precisely those words of life that should define and give real meaning to life. Whatever goods we carry with us in this life should aid us in the journey to the kingdom of God. When we use the things we gather to help others learn of the kingdom we have the right balance. That is how we seek first the kingdom and can expect God to add all things to us.

David was right. We are pilgrims and strangers. We look for a city whose maker is God. I am glad to have the chance to make this major move at his stage of my life. It is clarifying. It is a bit scary. And it's a lot of fun!