If you’re a Christian, chances are you’ve thought and tried to be more like Jesus. He’s a cool guy—the coolest, and often that emulation looks like loving better, serving better, forgiving better. But have you ever thought about trying to be more like Jesus when it comes to possessions and stuff?
Think back to everything you know about Jesus’ life around possessions, and he’d fit somewhere between a minimalist and a homeless man. If we talk in generalizations, Jesus was someone who lived quite simply.
Now, this post isn’t about urging you to move into a shipping crate or anything. But, have you ever thought about how your relationship to stuff could have a spiritual piece to it?
Having an abundance of stuff is really just part of our modern-day culture. And unless you've intentionally swam upstream of the cultural river, you're probably another victim of this mindset. I am too: I have five different kinds of Neutrogena Moisture Shine Lip Gloss. FIVE. Even three would've been murder but I've got two on top of that. Each of these tubes cost $7.99 each (sidenote: a ripoff, but I like them). Simple math: I'm approaching fifty bucks on lip gloss! The final kicker: with each one I acquire, I want to buy two more in different colors. Buying more makes me want to buy EVEN more. Amiright? Amiright? There is no quenching this beast. I want all the lip gloss everywhere forever.
If you're intrigued about cutting down on the excess in your life, I read a great book called The 7 Experiment. The author basically addresses seven different areas of her life: food, possessions, spending, waste, media, clothes, and stress, and attempts to simplify and reduce the excess in each category. It's challenging, it's interactive, and she gets at the heart of the problem. Some of the things I did following a workbook study of her book:
Gave away multiple possessions every day for a week
Counted my clothes (ah! I was up to 400 and didn't even delve into my under-bed storage)
Ate the same seven things for a week (I've never been more grateful for spices)
Only spent money seven times in a week
It’s a strange thing to put constraints on stuff, things, possessions. But once I did some of these experiments, it hit a nerve of just how comfortable I had become in my growing pile of stuff. But turns out, when you unload, offload, lighten the load, it brings with it a lightness of being.
None of this is saying live a more simple life in order to get to heaven, but there is freedom in simplicity—by tuning our focus more wholly to the Kingdom of heaven, and to be less burdened by things of this world.
What does this "living simply" mean for you? Are there places you can declutter, get rid of, or simplify your physical possessions? Do you really need another package from Amazon (oh so guilty), or yet another jacket? And to myself: do I really need another tube of lipgloss?
Living simply raises up humility, contentment, and how we can serve those around us best. Everything about living simply is a counter-cultural approach to life. But when you pursue the things that truly matter, you’ll jump off the hamster wheel of possessions and worldly success and onto a more peaceful path.