We are programmed. We want more...More...MORE! This is the carefully wrapped package our society has sold us ever since we could walk. Expanding, improving, and updating constantly rules our mind. We are slaves to consumption.
This standard in our society disgusts me. Sure all of this "stuff" would be wonderful if it offered peace, satisfaction, and a truly enriched mind but it only feeds the desire of wanting MORE. This really saddens me. Why have we let such meaningless things lord over our lives?
I want to be obsessed with less. This idea is completely contradictory to everything our world has taught us. However, I have found it to be much more rewarding then anything the world has tried to sell me.
Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
Matthew 19:21
Admit it, as Christians we overlook this verse. Why? Because we LOVE our stuff. It only makes sense that Jesus would ask us to give up this other love in our life before we follow him. Living with less is what Christ intended for us. Scratch that...He desired us to live with nothing...so he could be our EVERYTHING.
When you take away everything from your life; your home, car, clothes, money, friends, etc. what is left? Are you content? Is it impossible for you to enjoy life this way? I believe this is what Jesus wants; complete contentment with Him...nothing else.
I am becoming what some would call a minimalist. It's an active desire to live with less. Recently my husband and I moved to Dallas, TX. As a new minimalist my goal was to move with only 1 tub per room. That meant 1 box of kitchen stuff, 1 box for the bathroom, 1 for the bedroom (including clothes), 1 box for Evelyn's room, and 1 box for the living room. We fudged a little bit (mainly on baby stuff) but were able to fit everything in our car and the in- laws trunk. That was our first big commitment on living a minimalist life style. It was a little scary deciding what could go and what we had to let go of. However, I am really trying to remember what we didn't take and I can't. We survived and still are. God is faithful not our stuff.
I was about to say that "A minimalist lifestyle is not for everyone" but in reality it is. Minimizing our stuff is a practical approach to ridding ourselves of the world and relying on Jesus. Lately I have been looking at the things I don't want to consider getting rid of. These are the things that are most likely to lord over my life. There are things that I place in very high value...my "smart" phone for one or my computer. If you ever find yourself saying, "I just can't get rid of that" chances are that is probably the ONE thing you should do without.
Before moving the ONE thing we just couldn't get rid of was the TV. Why is it that no one in our culture seems to be able to survive without this thing? We used to make excuses like, "we only use it for informative purposes like watching Food Network and Discovery Channel". Which is all fine and dandy but Christ asks us to give up our possessions (the stuff we can't live without). And guess what? We do live without it just fine. Its absence is almost unnoticeable. I have more to say about the TV but will leave that for another blog.
I urge you to get excited about less. Give up some possessions you love and let Jesus take over...it's amazing.
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