HANGING ON TO STUFF
When I look at all the possessions I continue to hang on to, the idea of minimalism makes me cringe. Clearly, I’m not experiencing ‘simple living’!
Our culture, for as long as I can remember, has been ‘buy what you want now! You deserve it’! But then what do you do with it?
MINIMALISM
Then the idea of minimalism bumped into the conversation. It stresses the idea that a person can have too much and by only keeping those items which actually mean something to you and bring value to your life, are those worth keeping. It lowers stress and costs less!
GOD PROVIDES
I can’t help but think about Moses and all the Israelites when they were wandering in the wilderness. God provided their food; and the clothes— including their shoes, never wore out! Imagine wearing or eating the same thing every day for months and even years. What would that feel or even look like? But it’s interesting to note that God provided what they needed, not necessarily what they wanted!
TOO MUCH STUFF
I look at my closet and while I don’t have nearly as many clothes as a lot of people, I could wear a different outfit every day for several months as long as I mixed and matched my outfits. And shoes…. I clearly have too many, even if they didn’t wear out!
IN THE SCRIPTURES
The Scriptures have much to say, actually, about living simply. It stresses the idea that trusting in Jesus influences our thought processes on ‘stuff and money’.
It isn’t that money and stuff are bad, but like the trust we have for Jesus influences our thought processes, having so much ‘stuff’ can actually affect our thoughts, as well. The more we have, the more we feel we need.
NEEDING OR WANTING MORE?
Because we feel like we need more—another new outfit, or new shoes, a new purse, or new and updated electronic device, —whether it’s a new phone, computer, iPad or other gadget, it drives us to work harder and longer to make enough money to support these wants!
As we continue to focus on getting our list of wants fulfilled, we can easily lose focus on whether we are working to get ‘more’ rather than working to meet our needs. The ball keeps rolling and getting bigger and bigger, until we’ve worked ourselves into a stupor. We're unable to sleep because we’re stressing over how in the world we’re going to be able to even pay for all the stuff we’ve bought—-and where in the house we’re going to put it!
FOCUS
Taking a deep breath, we notice we aren’t living the simple life. Our focus has become more about accumulating ‘stuff’ and off the One who provides for our needs.
It’s time to declutter and create another mindset about what we really need. We realize we need to become intentional about what is important in our lives.
RECLAIMING OUR LIVES
We come to understand that all our accumulated possessions are more about keeping up with the world, which ultimately leaves an empty feeling, rather than satisfaction. It’s time to reclaim the life of simplicity, even if the world keeps offering its glitz and glitter that’s kept us going for such a long time, but with a hole in our spirit.
It becomes a matter of the heart. We need to decide just what is important, what we value, and what brings us joy! As we work our way through one drawer or cupboard, one closet or room, or whatever way we choose to begin to down-size our possessions, we find we become more calm and peace filled.
RECOGNIZING WHAT MATTERS
That said, simple living doesn't necessarily mean owning the fewest possessions. It means recognizing what truly matters and not allowing the pursuit of more to become the focus of our lives. But we begin to discover we can make more room for Jesus in our lives. We again reach for His Word and understand that He’s the Great Provider.
It’s not about the stuff that will eventually be reduced to dust and blow away, but about the relationships we’ve built with our families, neighbors and most of all, the relationship we have with God our Father.
