What will we unpack in heaven

When you work from the same office for thirty-five years, you tend to collect a lot of things.

As a pastor, my office has become a scrapbook of my life. There are family photographs on the walls, pictures of important people, places, and events that have shaped my journey. My shelves are lined with books—some that I have read and cherished, and, if I’m being honest, far too many that I always intended to read but never quite found the time. There is plenty of NC State Wolfpack memorabilia, something my church family has always known about me. My desk, walls, and shelves are filled with little reminders of the people I have loved, the places I have been, and the moments I never wanted to forget.

Every one of those things tells a story.

But every now and then I think about the day when I will leave this office.

Everything will have to be boxed up. The pictures will come off the walls. The books will come off the shelves. The Wolfpack memorabilia will be packed away. The keepsakes will all be wrapped in paper and placed in boxes.

Then what?

Truthfully, I don’t even know where it would all go. I certainly don’t have room for it at home, and I’m not convinced my wife wants my office recreated in another room of the house.

It makes me wonder about all the things we collect during our lives. One day, not only will I leave my office, but I will leave this world. Everything I have gathered over a lifetime will eventually be boxed up. Some things will be passed on to family. Some may be given away. Some may find their way to Goodwill, a thrift shop, or a yard sale. Objects that meant so much to me may become someone else’s bargain.

That thought brings me to the words of Jesus:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

Everything in my office is temporary. Paper fades. Wood warps. Metal rusts. Books wear out. Even our most treasured possessions eventually begin to fall apart.

Jesus reminds us that there is another kind of treasure.

The treasures of heaven are not things we place on shelves. They are the things we build into our lives and into the lives of others. Every act of kindness. Every moment of compassion. Every generous gift. Every word of encouragement. Every act of forgiveness. Every expression of Christ’s love.

Those are made of eternity.

One day, when we step into God’s kingdom, we will not bring our possessions with us. We will bring only ourselves—the people we have become by God’s grace.

Perhaps the treasures we have stored in heaven are already waiting for us there.

Maybe, when we arrive in God’s presence, we will discover that the kindness we offered, the mercy we extended, the love we shared, and the lives we touched have all been safely delivered ahead of us.

One day we will unpack those treasures.

And as we do, we will discover that nothing done in love was ever wasted.

The things we collected on earth may have brought us joy for a season. But the treasures we stored in heaven will bring joy forever.

Those are the things that last.