Lately I have been looking at all of our "stuff" with new lenses. It just feels like we have so much stuff, and so much stuff we either don't use or actually don't need. It feels like we have a lot of stuff in excess. Yes, I am a garage sale shopper, 2nd hand store shopper, and a clearance shopper so I can honestly and humbly say that we don't spend a lot of money on stuff. Well, perhaps that isn't entirely true either if you were to compare me with the rest of the world. Our reality is, we have a lot of stuff!
"The lesson I learned is that the war against materialistm in our hearts is exactly that: a war. It is a constant battle to resist the temptation to have more luxuries, to acquire more stuff, and to live more comfortably. It requires strong and steady resolve to live out the gospel in the middle of an American dream that identifies success as moving up the ladder, getting the bigger house, purchasing the nicer car, buying the better clothes, eater the finer food, and acquiring more things."
"What would happen if together we stopped giving our scraps to the poor and started giving surplus? What if we started giving not just what we are able to give but beyond what we were able to give? What if, like the widow in Luke 21 who gave all she had, we began to give what it hurt us to give? What if gave like this, not just because of the criticial need around us, but because this kind of giving is actually what the heart of Christ in us both demands and desires? What would happen if you and I decided that having a $50,000 salary doesn't necessitate living a $50,00 lifestyle? What if you and I had simple caps on our lifestyles and were free to give the rest of our resources away for the glory of Christ in the neediest parts of the world?"
"We look back on slave owning churchgoers of 150 years ago and ask, "How could they have treated their fellow human beings that way? I wonder if followers of Christ 150 years from now will look back at Christians in America today and ask, "How could they live in such big houses? How could they drive such nice cars and wears such nice clothes? How could they live in such affluence while thousands of children were dying because they didn't have food and water? How could they go on with their lives as though the billions of poor didn't even exist?"
I have been re-reading "Radical," by David Platt (I HIGHLY RECCOMEND the book) and it has me asking lots of questions of myself, and it has me looking at our stuff with new lenses. How can I not re-evelauate what we own and what we buy. It has forced me to go through our stuff a second and third time, and in doing so we have donated a van full of stuff to the second hand store. Although I'm feeling like I need to do it again, go through our stuff again. Actually over Christmas I felt my soul grieving all of the purchases that I have made over my lifetime of things that we don't EVEN use. That maybe sounds odd, but that is how it felt. Simply put, I don't want to have more than what we need. That is a little bit funny, as there is nothing simple about that, as really most of the things we own we really don't need. So where is the balance in all of this. Or should there be a balance? What does the Bible teach? What did Jesus role model to us?
I don't remember this part of the book hitting me as hard as it has this second time around. Actually maybe that is not true ... I think the first time I read the book, our way of doing our part was to adopt again (Jase).
So one of my New Years goals is to live more radically. I don't mean in the bigger ways like adopting, but instead in the daily grind of the North American life. I want to love my Jesus radically by loving others radically, with all of me, and with all of my resources. I don't want to store up treasures for myself here on earth, but instead I want to store up treasures in Heaven. I want to simplify my life and not have excess for the purpose of the excess not weighing me down. I don't want the excess to keep me from living the life I was created for, radically, in carpe diem style.
Do I know what this really looks like. No. Do I know the perfect equation for this is. Not really.
But for now I will do what I know. I know I can keep on simplifying what we have, and I know that we can be more scrutinizing with our purchases, and I know we can life off less and give more away.
How many pairs of jeans/pants does each person in our family really need? How many pairs of shoes? How many toys/books/coats ...?? It is kind of a never ending question, but not one without an answer. I am determined to find the answer ... for our family!
(That picture is so hard for me to look at. It is a picture of a 7 month old baby. After I had uploaded it I almost took it of because it such a horrific picture. The horrific truth though is that this baby's reality is the reality for millions of people world wide. How can I not give all of my resources to do my part?)
(That picture is so hard for me to look at. It is a picture of a 7 month old baby. After I had uploaded it I almost took it of because it such a horrific picture. The horrific truth though is that this baby's reality is the reality for millions of people world wide. How can I not give all of my resources to do my part?)
Comments