The Bigger Barn Mindset

Reflections on the Storage Unit Increase

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I have recently noticed a sudden increase in storage units in my town. From my house to Walmart, I pass approximately five storage businesses. I saw two erected this summer. I know several more locations in and around my town. This increase has prompted me to think about the nature of storage units. If you have ever been to Denver, CO, or around that area, you will have noticed dozens of enormous storage facilities. Why is this the case? Do people not have enough space in their homes for their goods? Or is it that they have too many goods for their home?

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

These questions and more came to me as I drove home this week. I believe the surge in units is an outward symptom of an inward reality. It is a reflection of the state of our society. People naturally seem to accumulate things, and I am no exception. As life progresses and my family grows, I acquire more stuff along the way. But, there is a balance that is required to steward our lives effectively. We must ask ourselves the essential question: is this a need or a want?

Defining Need

First, let's define the term need. The dictionary defines it as "circumstances in which something is necessary, or that require some course of action; necessity." You have the basic needs list we have all heard of fire, food, water, and shelter. But in this day and age, we have detailed our needs. We now have education, transportation, and jobs, and the list continues. These, indeed, are essential for us today. We must provide for ourselves and our families. But we have also been convinced that we have more needs than we actually, well... need. 

One such example is the smartphone. The phone is touted as an essential need for everyone of all ages. At least, that is what the advertisers say. Communication is necessary, especially as technology enables us to live further apart but remain connected. But do we need all the apps? The phone is one such example: overspending to acquire a perceived need. The storage unit is another. Have too much stuff? Instead of selling, downsizing, or donating, one should rent a storage unit and pile your things. One may never see it again, but at least you still own it. This renting stems from the modern individualistic mindset. 

The Bigger Barn Mindset

The mindset causes a person to see his goods as his alone. They are not tools or opportunities to help others. They are solely their possessions. God is the giver and has dictated how to use what he has given us. Luke 12 refers to this: And he said to them,

"Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16 And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, what shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' 18 He said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."' 20 But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."

We need to be careful how we store up treasures. We are not here to lay up as many earthly treasures as possible. Instead, we attain treasures to give them away and to use as opportunities to glorify God. Acts 20.35 says, "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Our things are given to us for the benefit of others. Maybe our families, neighbors, and communities should be the ones benefiting from our possessions, not the storage unit company across town. 

A Caveat

Obviously, there are caveats to be made. My own family used a storage unit when we moved overseas as missionaries. My friend rented a unit when he married, and they were looking to move into a house. However, is everyone moving overseas? Is everyone getting married and looking for homes? With such an increase in storage units and the decrease in marriage rates, I think not. 

Defining Wants

Wants come in all shapes and sizes; people frequently define wants as needs. The more we want it, the quicker we justify our need for it. However, we must maintain discipline as we live in this life. As Tolkien writes, "not all that glitters is gold." Things nowadays are made to catch our attention, to make us want to buy them. The global advertising industry reached 615.2 billion in 2022. With that much money poured into the methods of attraction, it is easy to see why we tend to quickly accumulate wants. 

On top of this is the idea of planned obsolescence. If you have an iPhone or an Android, then you have probably experienced this. These companies purported to purposely expire their products, forcing you to buy their latest model. So much of what we buy is only made to last us until the next generation. And with the increased connectivity of all technology, these firms continue to gain more control. 

So What?

We must harken back to our roots. We are made in the image of God, and that image is an eternal representation of our Creator. We are, in a way, permanent. We will live forever, either in Hell or in the presence of God with Christ. As Lewis said, "We are no mere mortals." Man's soul was made to live on after he physically perished. One day, we will face the consequences of our decisions. One day, God will test our works. Will our works be wood, hay, and stubble? Will they be burned up, and we barely escape, as though through fire? Or will they withstand, and we enter into the glory of the Lord with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Master."

We are like the servants in the parable of the talents. Each is assigned a portion of the Master's goods. There is a right way to steward them, and there is a wrong way. As Christians, we must live a life on mission for the glory of God. We live for his glory, not our own. Jesus himself has said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Let us be rich towards God rather than for ourselves. 

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