Who Are You Without Your Stuff?
"A person's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." — Luke 12:15
Simple, cheerful, and familiar, daisies have been loved for generations despite their lack of rarity or extravagance. Their beauty comes from what they are, not from trying to be something else.
Have you ever spent an entire evening looking forward to nothing but taking your shoes off? I certainly have. Years ago, I attended a formal event and wore a pair of shoes that looked absolutely wonderful—at least while I was standing completely still. After about an hour, my feet began sending polite complaints. After two hours, the messages became a lot more direct. By the end of the evening, I was smiling warmly on the outside while aggressively negotiating with my footwear on the inside. I spent so much time managing appearances—worrying about my hair, checking my outfit, and stressing over spills—that I wasn’t even enjoying the event. When I finally walked through my front door, I kicked off those shoes, changed into comfortable clothes, and instantly became a much happier human being.
It occurred to me later that we often do the exact same thing in life, not with our footwear, but with our identity. Jesus gave us a stark warning:
“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” Luke 12:15.
I have a friend named Joe whose everyday attire consists of well-worn jeans and a pickup truck with enough scratches to tell a very long story. One afternoon, I jokingly asked him about the state of his truck, and he smiled and said, “People leave you alone when they don’t think you have anything.” We both laughed, but there was brilliant wisdom hiding in that joke. Joe had reached a point where he didn’t need his possessions to introduce him to the room. He was entirely comfortable just being himself.
That kind of freedom is much rarer than we think. Many of us spend years trying to curate a specific image—not because we’re shallow or selfish, but because we crave acceptance, respect, and belonging. The desire itself is completely human. We all want to matter, to be valued, and to know our lives have meaning. The problem comes when we look for those answers in the wrong places. A nice car can tell people what you drive, but it cannot tell you who you are. A beautiful home can tell people where you live, but it cannot tell you what gives your life meaning. A closet full of fashionable clothes can change how people see you, but it cannot change how God sees you.
Only Christ can answer the deepest questions of our identity. The older I get, the more I’ve noticed that the qualities I admire most in people have absolutely nothing to do with their possessions. I value kindness, patience, humility, faithfulness, gentleness, and generosity. I’ve never once walked away from a conversation thinking, “What an incredible person—did you see the size of their lawnmower?” Yet I’ve met people whose quiet faith and genuine kindness stayed with me for years. Those are the things that leave a lasting impression, and those are exactly the qualities Jesus spent His time cultivating.
The world spends a great deal of energy polishing the outside, but Jesus works on the inside. The world asks how you look. Jesus asks who you are becoming. That is a much more hopeful question. Because while we cannot control every circumstance or guarantee success, through Christ we can become more loving, patient, forgiving, and faithful. Unlike appearances, those treasures never go out of style.
What we hold holds us. And enough begins with trust.
So if you’ve ever spent an entire evening waiting to take your shoes off, fix your flat hair, loosen your collar, or escape an outfit that looked a hundred times better than it felt... congratulations. You’ve already learned a major spiritual lesson: looking comfortable and actually being comfortable are not always the same thing. Go ahead and put on the sweatpants—your soul will thank you.
