If you have lived away from home for a few years or more, you’ve probably encountered a common phenomenon. We tend to start out adulthood with a few items belonging to us, but over time, they tend to multiply.

For some of us who can look back to college life, it was a time of relative simplicity. I could stuff everything I owned into the back of a rusty Chevy station wagon. It wasn’t much, but it allowed me great flexibility. And if it was all damaged or stolen, it would not take years to replace. Outside of clothes, your worldly goods may have consisted of articles like a souvenir cup that you picked up on a special trip, some electronic gear that played your favorite songs, and a few other items that had either functional or sentimental value.

Fast forward a few years and the amount of stuff you find yourself dragging from one place to another can mushroom. There are books, manuals, and magazines. And you probably have more electronic equipment—including computers—and DVDs or CDs. Add to that tax records, warranties, insurance policies, and other kinds of paperwork that tends to breed when no one is looking.

If you’ve crossed the threshold into marriage or parenting, then all this multiplies by a factor of five for each person in your life. (I’ve never figured out why it increases exponentially.) Double it again if you or other members in your household fit the description of a ‘packrat.’ And before you know it you find yourself enmeshed in lots of things.

It’s hard to try to simplify your life. Do I still keep a baseball glove I haven’t used for 15 years? What about copies of recipes I probably will never try? Clothes I will probably not wear again? Old magazines or newspaper clippings? Do I get rid of that heavy plastic cabinet full of screws, bolts, and other assorted stuff? What do I do with books I probably won’t re-read? And then there is always that drawer full of pens, rubber bands, paper clips, coins, and other assorted junk that might come in handy some time. Before long, we don’t own stuff. Stuff starts to own us!

The Bible puts all this in perspective. 1 Timothy 6:7 states, “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” That’s a refreshingly simple statement. The wealthiest billionaire, the neighbor with the greatest wardrobe or the most complete workshop, the pastor with the greatest library—they all take the same amount of material goods into the next life—nothing. The smallest thing we can conceal in the palm of our hand is still more than what we take out of this life. We don’t travel light, we travel empty.

We take into the next life what we have become in this life, and nothing more. Our loves, or loyalties, our character, our faith, and our spiritual maturity go with us. The vacation pictures, recognition certificates, collectibles, iPod downloads, and Christmas decorations stay.

This simple statement has challenged me to loosen my grip on the stuff that tends to creep into my life. I can’t quite go back to the days when everything would fit into a station wagon, but I’d sure like to get much closer to that place. It brings freedom, flexibility, and a greater potential to focus on the eternal things that are more lasting and valuable.