The story is told (I don’t know where) about the founder of the Methodist movement, John Wesley. I’ve read one time a wealthy man invited Mr. Wesley to come to his home. They spent most of the day on horseback, looking at the vast property that the man owned. At the end of the day, the landowner said, “Well, Mr. Wesley, what do you think?” And Wesley replied, “I think it is going to be very difficult for you to leave all this behind.”
I don’t own a lot of property. I don’t have a lot of monetarily valuable possessions. But there are probably some things that I love too much, and would be hard for me to let go at this time. I’m not talking about people in my life, but rather THINGS. They include (not necessarily in priority order):
1. Television — Law and Order, Seinfeld, news
2. iPhone — and everything that can be done on it, which I’ve only begun to discover
3. Starbucks vanilla lattes
4. Meat — particularly beef such as a really good steak or prime rib
5. Playing golf — it’s not a passion, but something I enjoy doing
6. Travel — don’t get to do as much as I’d like, but I’ve had some opportunities that I thoroughly enjoyed
7. Having a pet — except for the time I was in college, I’ve always had pets in my life, and they’ve added so much pleasure
8. Computers and the Internet
9. Books — particularly books about leadership, church, discipleship
10. Music — “Contemporary Christian,” Trans Siberian Orchestra, some classical, a lot of country, some pop
Fortunately, I don’t feel I have to give these things up right now. What would be on your list?