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OBSESSION
I was fascinated by a story in the news recently.
The story came out of Sydney, Australia where police
suggest "a bicycle enthusiast became a little obsessed
with his hobby later in life after discovering 435 bikes in
his house after his death...It took police seven days to
remove the bikes along with hundreds of frames, wheels and
other parts from [his] house."
The article reports that it was a 3-bedroom house
stacked to the rafters with bicycles that the man had
collected over the years.
Some bicycles were bought, some were traded, and police
believe many of the bicycles were stolen.
Wow! I
can't begin to imagine what's it's like to live in a house
filled with that many bicycles. I think the police were being kind when they described the
man as being "a little obsessed."
I'd say it was more than a little.
It's easy to see what the focus of that man's life was.
And while we would be quick to say that he was
ridiculous for placing so much emphasis on bicycles, is he
really any different from those of us who put other material
things at the center of our lives?
Jesus talked about a man who was so obsessed with his
"stuff" that he had to tear down his barns and build
bigger barns to keep it in (Luke 12:13-21).
Let me assure you - if the focus of your life isn't
"serving God", then it really doesn't matter what
your focus is. Whether
it's bicycles, jewelry or a vacation home at the beach or the
mountains, it's all just "clutter" that one day will
be worthless.
Oh, there's one more thing about the news article that
intrigued me. I mentioned the man's death, but I failed to tell you how he
died. He died after hitting his head after falling off a
bicycle! How
ironic (but not all that unusual) that his obsession resulted
in the hastening of his death.
Some obsessions result in death, and whenever (or
however) death comes, it means the loss of everything.
Only one obsession results in life.
May we all be able to say with Paul, "For me to
live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)
What are you obsessed with?
Have
a great day!
Alan
Smith
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