"But one thing that struck me is that the Lord called to remembrance a chapter
in A W Tozer's The Pursuit of God, called "The
Blessedness of Possessing Nothing." It's kind of a contradiction to
ask God for daily bread or daily anything when I have a house full of all
kinds of things.” Dana Acker
“The enemy's trick and lie are that these (material) things promise to
fill the hole in man's heart that can only be filled with God's love and
salvation—i.e. a living, loving relationship with Jesus Christ. And
as these things do not fill the hole, then man continually needs more and more
and more things to fill the hole that only gets bigger the more one tries to fill it up.” Dana Acker.
++++++++++++++++++++
Background from John:
When I was first saved, back in about 1977, while I lived
in Alexandria, Virginia, I had my first up close and personal experience with
hoarding. Unless someone has actually experienced it in person, surrounded by another
person’s collection of junk and stuff, it just cannot be believed. Even watching some of the current reality
television shows, it may almost seem surreal.
It started on their outdoor front porch, where the
refrigerator was kept, along with who knows what all. Then the elderly couple
had a literal pathway through stuff piled up at least three feet high, and
higher. The pathway led to a place for each of them to sit with no extra room
to spread out and get comfortable, and then on to the kitchen. It had to have
been God’s grace that kept that house from burning down.
This older couple went to church several times each week,
as they were able. Everywhere she went, the wife carried an old spiral notebook
with dozens and dozens of names and prayer needs in it that she continually
lifted to the Lord. One of her shoes had the leather jaggedly cut away so a misshapen
toe could poke out, and their clothes were far from being designer garments
from Neiman Marcus. But God is gracious, and they, and especially she, loved
God. And my name was one of the names on her list to keep in prayer. Thinking
back on it now, perhaps I am the Christian man I am today because she prayed
for me when I was just a youngster in the faith.
Quite honestly, I don’t understand hoarding. My Mother
made us make our beds and even clean the house when we were well under 10 years
old. I could do hospital corners by kindergarten. (Just please don’t ask me to dust. Ugh.)
There are all kinds of reasons for hoarding, but I’m not a psychologist or
psychiatrist so I won’t try to list any here.
In one home I visited, the roaches covered the stove and lived in every
corner of it, in spite of the fact that the burners were used as well as the
oven. (How did they stand the heat?) I
can make no excuse for it. And I’m pretty certain, that the God who laid out
the tabernacle and the temple, with jobs to take care of everything, and having
a place for everything and wanting
everything in its place, as well as where to locate the latrine (Deuteronomy
23:12-13 in either the NIV or the NAS), isn’t pleased with hoarding either.
So, a number of years ago, Carol and I were faced with a
hoarding situation. I explained the need to Dana and asked for his prayers.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Dana’s Reply
Hi John,
I have been praying daily for this
situation since you first brought it to my attention several weeks ago.
Since I hadn't heard of any resolution, I just figured it was still an open
need, and have been praying for God's help/intervention, and for Carol to have
wisdom in how to deal with it.
As to hoarding, I heard a radio program on the subject recently, and also
(while I haven't seen it) there is a reality based TV program (contradiction of
terms) that deals with it, along with family and friends holding interventions
to try to break the cycle. I am no psychiatrist or psychologist, neither
do I play one on the radio, so I can offer no clinical opinions on why people
hoard to extreme lengths. And, in a sense, I am in no place to judge, as
I am a bit of a pack rat myself. However of late I have been trying
to divest myself of stuff and have been making some weekend trips to the
Goodwill or Salvation Army Stores and the county dump depending on
the usefulness of the items of which I'm getting rid of.
Not to sound self righteous, but I guess I thought of the stuff I kept
as having some value, sentimental or practical, and not just trash,
although one man's trash is often another man's treasure--hence the
universal phenomenon of the yard or porch sale. But one thing that the
Lord called to remembrance was a chapter in A W Tozer's "The Pursuit of
God," called "The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing." It's
a bit presumptuous, I think, to ask God for daily bread or daily
anything when I have a house and pantry full of all kinds of things.
As I look at the Scriptures in light of today's economic and social conditions,
it dawned on me that the time when much of the Scripture was written,
it was at a time when the "world" was in a rough
spot--famines, plagues, bondage, oppression, foreign domination, persecution,
wandering, homelessness, etc. etc. Very little Scripture was
written when things were just going great for God's people. And, when
things were great, it wasn't long before they got ugly again. Still God
worked in and through His people, and the life circumstances of the day served
as a backdrop for what God was doing. It's not that God was unconcerned
with the plight of His people; it's that no matter how bad things were
physically, economically, and politically--what have you; God was never
hindered in His work.
Where am I going with all this? As we (as a society) drift farther
and farther away from God, and the knowledge of God is as far removed from
everyday thinking as last month's want ads in the paper, man finds himself in a
position of having to grasp and keep (hoard) the material things of this
world for his sense of well being and security. The enemy's trick and lie are
that “these material things” promise to fill the hole in man's heart that can
only be filled with God's love and salvation--i.e. a living,
loving relationship with Jesus Christ. And as “these material things”
really do not fill the hole, then man continually needs more and more and more of
“these material things” to fill a hole that only gets bigger the more one tries
to fill it up.
The same is true with any addiction. No matter what the substance, drugs, alcohol,
sex, money, food, TV, gambling, the acquisition and hoarding of material
things, you name it; the addict is never satisfied completely. Oh sure, in the midst of indulging, there may
be momentary relief, and a perceived sense of well-being, but it is short
lived, and the need is greater once the “high” has worn off.
Thus the hoarder, I believe (as well as all addicts), is to be pitied.
The hole in their life, soul, and heart gets larger with every
material possession they acquire and keep--even if the material possessions are
comprised of filth and garbage. That is the deceitfulness of sin--that it
will satisfy the longing of the human heart which can only be satisfied with
the presence of the Lord. It is true
that the man (or woman) with nothing but Christ, is the richest of persons. My
Mother used to say, “You will never see a Brinks truck following a hearse,” and
the same holds true of all “these material things” this life has to offer. We take nothing with us when we depart our
earthly life, but our relationship with Jesus…and that is more than
enough.
So, I will be praying for Carol, and I'll be praying for the hoarders as
well.
Love you Brother,
Dana
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