For the last two weeks, I have been in moving mode. I packed up all my belongings in dozens of oh-so-fashionable Trader Joe’s bags and moved across town to larger digs for my three housemates and me. It’s a little embarrassing when people help you cart your belongings to a new location, kind of like baring little pieces of yourself to the world, your sentimental Anne of Green Gables books mingling with the underwear in your bottom drawer. But more than that, I was a little disconcerted to realize how much “stuff” I have.
As a missionary, I have seen orphans that own just the clothes on their backs, and a fresh set for Sunday. I’ve met Rwandan widows who have little to feed themselves, and yet they would give everything they have just to show you hospitality. If any of the people I have met in my travels visited my house, they would be in awe of my riches.
When I moved to California, I had one car-load of stuff, but over the last couple of years, my possessions have started to expand. Like many American Christians, I am in a constant battle to make sure that my stuff doesn’t own me. It bodes well for us to win the battle of the stuff, for our spiritual and mental well-being.
Jesus admonishes us in Matthew 6 not to “store up treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy,” but to “store up treasures in heaven.” The chapter goes on to say, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Or as the movie Fight Club so eloquently states, “The things you own end up owning you.” While there is nothing wrong with having things, we need to be extra careful where we placing our faith. The things we own are here today, but can be just as easily stolen, destroyed or lost. If our faith is in these things, there is a high possibility it will be stolen, destroyed or lost along with our possessions.
This move has forced me to think about the stuff I own, and my attachment to it. If I was forced to give up luxuries, would I be willing, or would I be devastated? Would I cut my kitchen utensils down to the basics? Reduce my clothes to one week’s worth of outfits? What about going without music or books?
“Living simply” has become a catch-phrase for people who want to cut back on their stuff quotient to spend more time on relationships, contemplation and that all-powerful concept of “free time.” While it might sound like a dream, it is possible to achieve. And in these times of consumerism, I think it is imperative that we work to achieve it. Studies have shown that people living with mounds of unorganized junk tend to have emotional and psychological issues. Hoarding is a very real psychological problem. And the spiritual issues of faith and treasure you saw above.
Ready to give it a try? I know it takes some time to release our things, but you can do it. Here are some tips to help you get started if you are prepared to take on the battle of the stuff:
- Take a minute to think about what you consider simplifying. Pray and ask God if there are some stuff you need to let go of. Come up with a plan of what a simplified life looks like for you.
- Get started! Procrastination is easy, but think of how good you will feel once you have succeeded. So open that junk drawer, go through one cluttered closet, one area at a time. Over a couple of months, you can work through every space in your house.
- Think of ways to give instead of getting. Sell something on eBay? Give a portion of the proceeds to a good cause. Have a sweater you love but never wear? Give it to a friend you know will enjoy it. Or even better, give away a sweater you love. The blessing you will feel is tremendous.
- Think before you buy. Do you really need a new pair of shoes or that fancy kitchen gadget? If you see something you want, go home and see if you already have that item, and ask yourself if you really need it. Personally, I have a pact with myself to buy no more stationary until I have used a good portion of what I already have.
- Use the recycle, reduce, reuse principle. Instead of purchasing new items, look for gently used items on Craigslist or want ads. Recycle old suitcases into cute storage containers. I have a repurposed 1950’s diner table that makes a great desk, and my living room furniture was mostly free.
- Do a little research before you give stuff away. Salvation Army and Goodwill get millions of donations a year, but there may also be local charities you can help. I like to take items to a thrift store that helps local women in need. Also, do not give stained or broken items to charity. Would you buy a broken item at a store? Use the same principle in your charitable giving.
- Simplify your routine. Do you have something going on every night of the week? Committed to something you dislike, but don’t feel you can give it up? Go through your calendar, and start eliminating a few activities. Complete commitments, and learn to say no to things you do not want to do.
- Take a Sabbath. A friend of mine once described to me the benefits of taking a Sabbath with no phone or car or commitments. It sounded heavenly. If you can’t do it every week, shoot for once or twice a month.
- Once you have reduced everything you own, do it all over again. Stuff can creep up on you over time, so keep up the battle to live a simplified life.
