The world today inundates us with the allure of worldly treasure. Granted, the temptation to pursue such treasure has long existed; from the dawn of time humanity has been prone to seek treasure in the creation rather than in the Creator. However, recent “progress” of technology and prevalence of social media has shaped society and culture in such a way that now seemingly wherever we turn, we face the temptation to view worldly possessions as our source of comfort—our treasure.
Twentieth-century theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer provides valuable insight into this dilemma. Though writing before the advent of the Internet and other modern technologies, he recognized how worldly possessions—and the pursuit of them—can breed anxiety and disillusionment in the human heart and mind.
Danger of Possessions
First, he points out the danger of seeking worldly treasures. He claims, “Earthly possessions dazzle our eyes and delude us into thinking that they can provide security and freedom from anxiety. Yet all the time they are the very source of all anxiety. If our hearts are set on them, our reward is an anxiety whose burden is intolerable.”
My wife and I have counseled young people who could not appreciate the connection between their anxiety and the earthly treasures they valued so highly. That connection is real; the more we seek comfort and peace in our possessions—whether material or immaterial—the more anxious we become. Why? For one, while temporal possessions can gratify us in the moment, they cannot satisfy the longings of our hearts. As a result, we run from one worldly treasure to the next in an endless—and futile—search for peace and satisfaction. This seeking without finding leads only to disappointment and disillusionment. Moreover, worldly possessions breed anxiety because they distract us from the true source of peace—the God who created us.
In other words, not only are earthly treasures unable to impart peace, they also lead us away from the One who is able. They promise what they cannot provide (see Prov 9:13-18) and keep us from the God who can.
Thus the danger of possessions is that they can trap us in a cruel pattern which results in compounded anxiety. As Bonhoeffer maintains, they provide not “security and freedom from anxiety,” but are themselves “the very source of all anxiety.”
Misuse of Possessions
However, Bonhoeffer does not suggest that possession are bad, in and of themselves. Rather, it is the misuse of them which leads to anxiety. He explains, “The way to misuse our possessions is to use them as an insurance against tomorrow. Anxiety is always directed to tomorrow, whereas goods are in the strictest sense meant to be used only for today. By trying to ensure for the next day we are only creating uncertainty today…. If instead of receiving God’s gifts for today we worry about tomorrow, we find ourselves helpless victims of infinite anxiety.”
In other words, when we take what God has provided us “today” and allow it—rather than the Lord—to become our sense of security for “tomorrow,” then we have distorted the possessions that God has given us. And instead of rejoicing over God’s provision for the present, we become anxious over whether the current provision can carry us through the future.
The result of thus focusing more on the provision than the Provider can only be anxiety. For deep down we know the insufficiency of our possessions to insure us against an unknown future. And if all we have are those possessions, the natural outcome is anxiety concerning what’s to come. Yet if we know and trust the Provider, we can walk in peace, knowing that he is the one who insures our future.
Delusion from Possessions
Finally, Bonhoeffer highlights what might be the most significant problem with utilizing possessions to secure us for the future. He contends, “The coming day, even the coming hour, are placed beyond our control. It is senseless to pretend that we can make provision because we cannot alter the circumstances of this world. Only God can take care, for it is he who rules the world. Since we cannot take care, since we are so completely powerless, we ought not to do it either. If we do, we are dethroning God and presuming to rule the world ourselves.”
That is to say, when we utilize earthly provisions to control our lives, we are attempting to usurp God’s throne. Thus not only can worldly possessions lead us toward compounded anxiety, they can also mislead us into thinking that we “rule the world.”
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In a consumer society that postures earthly possessions as a source of ultimate peace and joy, we would do well to heed Bonhoeffer’s warning. The misuse of possessions not only breeds anxiety, but also deludes us into thinking that it is not the Lord, but we who reign over and control the world.
Let us, moreover, heed the words of Jesus: “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” (Matt 6:19–21).