Stuff

What's in your bag??

I am sure you have the usual: pencils, pens, notebooks, erasers, glue, markers, scissors, calculator, tissues, folders, rulers.....the normal stuff!

Today in church Pastor Josh did a very cool thing....he had asked us all to bring our tote bags to church with us. He asked all the children going to school to come up front with their bags. Next, he asked everyone going to school for any reason to come front. He invited students and teachers and anyone who has any part of the school day to come up. Then he invited anyone who would like to show support for those of us going to school. Perhaps you are a grandmother of a student. Perhaps you are a bus driver or a cook or an office worker. I believe we had half the church up front. We prayed together. We layed hands. We held hands. We prayed over all this stuff we had collected in our bags. We prayed for a successful school year.


We all enter this world with little or no "stuff". We collect lots of "stuff" along the way. We need a lot of "stuff" to do our jobs and to enjoy our life. We are so very blessed to have so much "stuff". Sometimes, that "stuff" takes over our lives and causes a problem. I love this short story entitled, "STUFF":


Every fall I stir my stuff. There is closet stuff, drawer stuff, attic stuff and basement stuff. I separate the good stuff from the bad stuff, and I decide if I will ever need the bad stuff. When the Lord calls me home, my children will want the good stuff, but the bad stuff, stuffed wherever there is room, will be stuffed in bags and taken to the dump where other people's stuff is. When we have company, they always bring bags of stuff and I have to move some of my stuff to make room for their stuff. When I visit my son, he moves his stuff over so that I have room for my stuff. It would be easier to just use his stuff, but I really can't do with my stuff. I have an extra closet just to put extra stuff too good to throw away. What would life be like if we didn't have so much stuff? There is stuff to make us smell better, stuff to make our hair look good, stuff to hold us in, and stuff to fill us out. There is stuff to read, stuff to play with, stuff to entertain us and stuff to eat. When we leave our stuff and go to heaven, what happens to our stuff won't matter. One thing is certain, we will not be able to take any of our stuff with us, but we will then have the GOOD stuff God has prepared for us in heaven!


God, hear our prayers for a wonderful school year, one filled with excitement and friendship and joy and learning and sharing and caring. Help us to take care of all of the "stuff" we have been blessed with, and help us to do our very best each and every day. Along with all the "stuff" we carry to and from school each day, help us to remember to take YOU with us wherever we go! In Your name we pray, Amen