“You will never see a U-Haul behind a hearse”
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr, an American actor, director, and producer, whom The New York Times ranked as the greatest actor of the twenty-first century said the following words: “You will never see a U-Haul behind a hearse. I don’t care how much money you make, you can’t take it with you. It is not how much you have, it’s what you do with what you have”. These are very intriguing and stimulating words, which closely relate to last Sunday’s Gospel reading about the rich man (Luke 12:16-21). In a very contemporary way, the words of Denzel Washington reiterated the Gospel reading, where the truth of life resonates even more dramatically. These words should not surprise us as they come from a son of a Pentecostal Minister.
Regardless of one’s status in life be it financially or educationally, you will never take your wealth or personal achievements to the other side. This applies to every individual, every society, every belief system, or every generation of humanity. We will always follow the same path when we meet our Creator… with empty hands: “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6: 6). There will be no U-Haul truck following the hearse. Everything we have or accumulate will always stay here on earth. The only question is what do we do with what we have?
There is a tremendous amount of philosophical literature written on the subject of life, which in itself is commendable. People have been concerned about life and its purpose since the time of ancient Greek philosophy. However, the entire process of thinking leads us not to the philosophical definitions of life, but to our personal approach to life and its essence. Our Lord Jesus Christ does not generalize about life in the Gospel, but He takes us to a concrete example of an individual whom He describes as “rich”. As every person is different, every individual will approach this subject in a personal and subjective way. If we apply this line of thinking from the Gospel, we will never think about life and its riches in the perspective of philosophy, but in the perspective of its immediate implication on our life.
It is especially important to emphasize this line of thinking in the twenty first century, where the recognition of status and wealth are foundational directives of accomplishment and status in society. From our immediate perspective, the latest images from British Columbia show us the effect of the fragility of human life. In only a few days, many families lost the physical accumulation of their entire life. The devastation of land caused by the torrential rain is a reflection of the loss each family endured and continues to endure. Another very poignant example is that of a traumatic car accident. In a split second, the entire life of an individual and their family can be changed.
The question remains, what do we do with what we have? The question is as real as the question in the Gospel. In the words of Jesus Christ, we are being asked to look for the treasures in heavens, which we can find all around us. Heavens are not a distant place, but a state of life, which is experienced in our own hearts and the hearts of those around us. The question addresses our image of who we are and what we see in the eyes of the other individuals. At the very end, it is not a U-Haul truck following a hearse, but a loving family and friends, in whom we find the true meaning of heavenly treasures. In those moments, we realize that everything we have is a living memory and testimony of our approach to and choices in life. Unless we want to be like the ancient Egyptian pharaohs who were buried with their earthly treasures in the pyramids and yet still got robbed by scavengers, let us be reminded of what our Lord said: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12: 34).