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Yesterday a friend posted an interesting video clip on her facebook page about a man who lives in a teeny tiny house. Not only does he live in one, but he has been contracted to build tiny houses for other people! It seems that, once people saw his simple way of life, they were attracted to it!
I have to say, I understand the draw!
I don't think that we could live in a space that tiny with 6 kids, but I have found that, the bigger the house, the more of my time it takes to keep it clean - which often translates into less time for "meaningful" things.
Many years ago, I read a story in Guidepost magazine about several families who decided to live more simply. One woman bought multiples of the same clothes so that she could save time on choosing an outfit each morning. For another couple, that meant having vegetable soup for lunch every day. While neither of those options appealed to me, it did challenge me to think about the benefits of living more simply.
From time to time I get into a “purging” mood - feeling the need to streamline my home and get rid of things that we don’t use. As you can imagine, with a large family, it is amazing how quickly we accumulate things.
I am in one of those moods now.
But, as I sort, I struggle to get rid of things. “Has this really out-lived it’s usefulness to me?” I wonder. “What if I get rid of it and then find that I need it?”
On one hand, I want to be a good steward of the things that God gives me. I don’t want to get rid of things too hastily then need to spend unnecessary money to replace them. I want to keep the things that are still useful to me and only get rid of things that are not.
On the other hand, I feel that cluttering up the house with things that I might need sometime can cause a lack of peace in the home. I have seen a few TV shows that deal with the issue of Hoarding – keeping excessive amounts of things – often brought on in a person’s life because they went through a time of financial leanness and had started to accumulate things as a kind of “insurance” that they would never have to “go without” ever again.
As a Christian, I believe that it is God’s responsibility to provide for my needs when those needs arrive. He does not always provide in advance – sometimes His timing even seems late. I am simply expected to trust Him. Practically, that means that if I feel prompted to get rid of something – even if there is a possibility that I may need it in the future – then I can expect God to provide it for me at the time that I need it again!
So I sort. I pray. I ask if this is something that I need to keep, or bring to a ministry where people who are in need can take things for free.
I keep learning what it means to trust God to provide,
to live more simply,
to be content with what I have...
“Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness… Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share…” 1 Timothy 6:6-11,17-18
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