For the entirety of my adult life, my dad would show me all of his collectibles (trains, model airplane kits, stamps, just to name a few) and how to find their value in various related books about collections. He made me promise that I wouldn’t let my mother just sell everything off in one lump sum because she wouldn’t make any money that way. It was his belief that the sale of those collections would be enough to support Mom and that there would be money left over after she died for my brother and I to split as our inheritance from him.
My mother and I tried to do it Dad’s way after his passing, but soon realized it would be a fulltime job for both of us and that the value of those collections was a perceived amount of wealth, not a realistic one. Often, our treasures on earth only hold great value to the owner of said treasure. When we try to sell the treasures, their worth is only as much as the highest bid.
I tried to sell Dad’s collectibles one at a time, but it was a slow, difficult process with little monetary reward. My Mom finally told me she wanted to look for a single person or company to sell all of it to. I reminded her of my promise to Dad even though she knew it was too big of an undertaking. She reminded me that it wasn’t mine to sell. With that statement, I felt a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders.
We went through all of Dad’s paperwork and found that he had actually contacted several companies to purchase the whole lot. We followed up on each of them. None offered anywhere near the amount we were hoping for. Finally, we found among Dad’s contacts an auction company that specialized in these types of collectibles.
They hauled everything out of the basement and sold it within a month or two. Mom made a pretty decent amount of money, although it was nowhere near what Dad thought it was worth.
Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 NKJV
Father, we praise You and worship You. Your blessings are bountiful, and You give willingly to Your underserving children. It’s Your love for us that we should treasure above all. The sacrifice that Jesus made on that cross. That is the greatest gift of all, and it was free for the taking. May we cling to it as our one and only prized possession. In Jesus’ holy name, we pray. Amen.