The Accumulation Trap

“Buy now – pay later!” Yep. But how many ways do we pay when we’re caught in the trap of accumulation? Besides the initial price of the item we buy, there’s the cost of interest if we put it on credit. There’s the price of space to store the item. There’s the price of time and energy to take care of the item. And there’s the mental price of clutter created by our overaccumulation.

Buying stuff isn’t wrong. Even buying stuff for our own enjoyment isn’t wrong. But often, as we continue to accumulate things, our actual happiness decreases. Jesus combines the “worries of this life” and the “deceitfulness of wealth” as the characteristics of the thorny soil in the Parable of the Sower. Often, marketing deceives us into thinking that more things or newer things will make us happier. But in reality, accumulation can become a significant obstacle to walking with God.

Accumulation leads us to think of ourselves as owners rather than as stewards of Someone else’s resources. And this leads to worry and discontentment rather than to peace and happiness.

Escaping the trap of accumulation is not about getting rid of all our possessions! Rather, it’s about thoughtful spending and intentional simplicity. Podcast host James Lenhoff highlights tactics and thought processes to help us spend and accumulate without falling into the accumulation trap.