We live in a nice, compact, one-bedroom apartment. When we
arrived, the only furniture available were a bed, a wooden chair and a small
old cupboard. That was good enough for the two of us. We could comfortably sit on
the carpeted floor with our legs stretched. Of course, we had all the home appliances.
But, we could not invite anyone home. Where would we ask them to sit? Not on
the floor! Since our stay in the US is temporary, we decided not to spend much
on furniture. However, we needed something basic – at least to invite friends
home.
It was a Saturday morning, just three weeks after we had come
to the US. Our new friends (we had just met them the previous day) came home. They
live in the same apartment complex and they were introduced to us by a common
friend. They work among Indian students and they have been helping them set up
their apartments. So, they get a lot of used furniture. They said they could give
us some of that furniture. That would help us! Within the next one hour, our
apartment was furnished with couches, a working table, television and much more
than we thought we need. We did not have to pay a cent!
That day, we thought about the people who would have actually
paid for those things. These things probably belong to different people – we do
not know who they are. I wonder if they would even know we’re using those
things now. But, they had the heart to let go of those material things, which
is a blessing to us. That reminded us that not only is our stay in the US
temporary, but also our stay in this world. After all, we are not going to
carry any of our ‘belongings’ with us! So, why get attached to anything on
earth? Our destination is heavenly. “I
tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is
gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:9)
