“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

Recently at a youth group event, my colleague William Min used this phrase in a prayer—that God would help us “hold the things of the world loosely.”

The “things of the world” are the things that are temporary. They don’t last. 

They include that new iPhone, your house, that amazing watch, how many likes or followers you have on social media, your bank account, or that shirt that compliments all the right features. They also include the things naysayers say about you. After all, there are times when we become preoccupied with people-pleasing instead of God-pleasing.

Holding the things of the world loosely is about not becoming infatuated and fixated on the stuff that doesn’t last.

Henri Nouwen tells a story about a woman who wasn’t doing very well. She was clutching something tightly in her fist. Her caregivers had to provide some assistance. Her clutching was consuming her energy. She wasn’t eating or doing other things she needed to do because of her intense focus on whatever was in her hand.

Eventually they were able to calm her down and release her grip. She had been clutching… a penny. It wasn’t sentimental or valuable in any other way. For whatever reason she had become consumed with it, even though it was worth next to nothing.

Reflecting on this story, Stephen Macchia asks: “What are your pennies?” What are those things which consume your energy and focus, but which don’t have enduring value? 

Material things? The ladder of success? How popular you are? How many compliments you get from people who don’t share your core values?

In short, hold the things of the world loosely, but the things of God firmly. 

Faithfulness. True priorities. Honest relationships. Promises made. Loving servanthood.

Hold the things of the world loosely, but the things of God firmly.

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Notes:

–*The Rev. Dr. Macchia spoke about this story at a pastor’s retreat hosted by the Renewal Fellowship, November 4-5, 2024, in Mississauga, ON. 

–“Dealing with Rejection.” Sermon. December 1, 2024. Click here.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.