There’s a difference between hoarding and collecting. There’s a difference between the haz-mat suited garbage crews that clean up the trash filled homes on the cable show “Hoarders”, and the way Frank and Mike from “American Pickers” carefully comb through a barn filled with valuable antiques. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference at first glance. There are “neat” hoarders and really sloppy collectors. In the end it comes down to value. Old motorcycle parts are valuable. Used pizza boxes are not. One “collection” goes to a museum, another get’s sent to the dump. Both “collectors” worked hard to build their “collection”, but one will receive a reward…while the other receives a fine and a bill for the clean up.
Even in a society that eschews value judgements, some things are valuable and some things are worthless. The proof of that truth is visible every evening on cable television.
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ (Philippians 3:7-8