Growing up as a millennial who often identified with Gen-X culture, I vividly remember the iconic “No Fear” t-shirts that were all the rage in the 90s. One slogan stuck with me: “He who dies with the most toys still dies.” At the time, it seemed like a clever pushback against the materialism of the culture around me, but there was more truth in it than I realized. It calls out the futility of measuring life by our possessions.

Jesus addresses this very issue in Luke 12:22-34 when He challenges His followers to stop worrying about what they’ll eat or wear. He points out that, in life, we often want more than we need. This isn’t just about greed; it’s about a deeper issue—trust. Instead of trusting that God will provide for us, we often rely on ourselves, stockpiling resources in the hope that we’ll feel secure. Like the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21, we build bigger barns, gather more, and look to our possessions for peace. But even if we gain everything we think we need, it’s still not enough, because deep down, we don’t trust that God’s provision is sufficient.

We’re not all that different from the rich fool. We live in a culture that tells us security comes from having “enough”—enough money, enough success, enough recognition. The problem is that our definition of “enough” keeps changing. When we focus on accumulating more, we’re really saying that God isn’t enough for us. We don’t trust Him to give us what we need, so we try to take care of ourselves.

Jesus offers a better way. He tells us to seek first God’s Kingdom and trust that everything else will fall into place. What He promises isn’t a life of luxury, but a life free from the constant anxiety of trying to secure ourselves. Faith is trusting that God knows our needs better than we do—and that, ultimately, our treasure isn’t in what we can accumulate here on earth. It’s in heaven, where no amount of wealth or possessions can ever compare.

At the end of the day, the slogan still holds true: “He who dies with the most toys still dies.” But for those of us who trust in God’s provision, we’ve found something better than toys. We’ve found true peace, true security, and a treasure that will last for eternity.