Simplifying

"Seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may walk properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone." 1 Thes 4:11-12

I have been spending the last few months attempting to simplify my life. I can't say that I'm succeeding phenomenally or anything, but I'm trying. I'm trying to get rid of my excess clothes. I'm trying to weed through all of the crap I have accumulated under my bed, in my closet, and in the attic over the years. My dorm room next year will measure ten feet by eight feet, and I am super stoked to be forced to downsize my life into that space. 

I'm trying to hold myself accountable to not buy anything that is not a necessity. While I am utterly failing at this concept, it is something that I want to continue to reach for. 

You see, the thing about this stuff is that it's slowing me down. I want to be free and light and able to pick up and go anywhere God sends me. Recently I learned of a couple from New Zealand who moved themselves and their young children to a less-then-glamorous house on a dirt street in third-world Ethiopia where they will be serving as full-time missionaries. And, I thought to myself..."What if God called me to do that?" Even if my spirit was willing to go, I would have a lot of things to manage before I could actually leave. There would be so much stuff to go through. So many things I rely on that would have to be cut off. But, what I want... what I believe may be God's desire for us, is the ability to get up and go, wherever he calls me, whenever he calls me. 

“The simplification of anything is always sensational.” 
― G.K. Chesterton

Going to Ethiopia... changed my life. It changed so many things about the way I live and move and breathe. It drastically altered what I desired to be satisfied. 

America is so... distorted... in it's mindset of what is enough.

There are two ways to get enough: one is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less. --G. K. Chesterton

I'm choosing to desire less, because I know that nothing on this earth will ever truly satisfy me. 

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:2

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. And, I am the rich man. 

Lord, help me simplify my life. 

When you picture Jesus, do you ever see him carrying a bunch of stuff around with him? As he traveled from place to place, was he carrying a backpack or perhaps a few suitcases of odds and ends to increase his comfort? Did he have a bedroom back at Mary and Joseph's home, full of keepsakes and other items collecting dust?

I'm almost positive he didn't. It just wouldn't make any sense. Jesus didn't belong here. This world was not his home. He was only a temporary resident fulfilling a mission, awaiting the day he returned Home. Why in the world would he have...stuff? 

And, cannot the exact same be said for you and me?

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body...." Philippians 3:20

So here I go, on a long path of attempted simplification. How truly I can ever do that in this country, I'm not sure. But I'm willing to give it a shot. 

I want to eliminate excess stuff. But more than that, I want to rid my life of excess on so many levels. Emotional baggage. Unnecessary weight, chemicals, junk food in my body. Stressful, unorganized life. 

To simplify my eating habits, I've been trying to eat food that comes as close to fresh from the ground as possible. My garden is definitely helping with that. Foods that have been through twelve different steps of processing really have no business being in my body. 

I've even taken up the task of cleaning out my email inbox, deleting everything I don't need, and unsubscribing from all junk mail I receive. It's quite refreshing really. 

I've made a pact with myself. I am making it a goal to not buy any new clothing for a year.  Clothes shopping is a huge stumbling block for me in my journey of simplicity. So, it is the plan that anything that adds itself to my wardrobe will come from a thrift store, a gift, or a hand-me-down. In addition, when I add something to my wardrobe, I plan to get rid of something else, to avoid building up excessive stuff.

Pray for my accountability in this endeavor! 

"Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away." --1 Cor 7:31

May the Lord be glorified through every facet of my life.

"It was a beautiful letdown the day I knew that all the riches this world had to offer me would never do. In a world full of bitter pain and bitter doubt, I was trying so hard to fit in, until i found out that I don't belong here." --Switchfoot