Things tyrannize over us, too. Money, clothes, houses, furniture, food, automobiles–all the material paraphernalia of existence–captivate our interests and dominate our thoughts. “To have” concerns us a great deal more than “to be.” Few of us have attained the freedom from things which can truthfully sing, “A tent or a cottage, Why should I care?” The proof of our thing-mindedness is, again, very easy. Try for five minutes to give God the “loving attention,” which is the essence of true prayer. You will find your mind reverting over and over to things–to what you are wearing or what you would like to wear, to what you had for breakfast or what you want for lunch, to the salary you receive or the increase you are seeking, to the house you live in or the house you are trying to find, to the condition of your car or the prospect of a new one. With amazing frequency, things in some fashion will insert themselves into your brief effort to keep your mind fixed on God.

–Albert Edward Day, Discipline and Discovery