One of our greatest enemies is stuff. Stuff can be nearly anything and everything, and the stuff you cherish might be different than the stuff I cherish. But ultimately, we all can be distracted by stuff. The material things of this world are sometimes necessary–stuff like food and clothing. But often, material things become alluring and distracting. We want fancy clothes and luxurious meals. We want bigger houses and nicer cars. We want more gadgets and things, and before we know it, we are bogged down by materialism and stuff.
Things are not evil in and of themselves, but we must be wary of our attitude towards things. When our focus is centered on earthly things and not spiritual things, we are in trouble. We need to remember the words of Jesus, “Be on you guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Discipline yourself to be a good steward of possessions–be charitable, don’t be covetous, and always remember that earthly things will pass away, but spiritual things will last forever.