Share Our Time Share Our Hope

He said to them, watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed, because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. Luke 12:15 NET

Are we willing to explore the idea that there is more joy to be found in owning less than we can ever find in accumulating more? I hope so because I know from years of experience that by getting rid of the excess stuff in every room, we can transform our home so that we feel not only free from the stress of so much clutter around us but also free to live a life focused on following God’s call, a life free to love and serve others as God intended.

Or another question we can ask ourselves.... When has preoccupation with something we own kept us from serving someone else?

.... for some homes filled with treasured items, collected momentos, lovely art, furniture and textiles it creates a rich welcoming God infused space, and for some there is more joy to be found in owning less than in accumulating more...

What if the problem isn’t that we don’t own enough stuff or aren’t managing all our stuff well enough? What if the problem is that we’re living in the homes that advertisers and retailers want us to have instead of the homes that deep down God knows we really want and need? 

I’d like to suggest that what the so many of us need if we are going to start living more fulfilled lives is a minimalist makeover of our homes.   Kinda daunting, and not for everyone.... Many people mistakenly think that to live simply one must have a small cabin and grow all their own food. While that may be God’s beautiful call for some people, the only thing that image does for most of us is make us feel guilty for what we do have. 

The heart of the discipline of simplicity is found in the verse for today: we need a good balance of wealth to care adequately for our daily needs and the needs of those we are responsible for, but no more. Once we have reached that adequate threshold, we are invited to share the rest with others to further the kingdom of God. 

In BC communities many decent homes are knocked to the ground and replaced with a huge structure. Some are four thousand plus square feet and will house only two or three people! The discipline of simplicity invites us to look at that scenario and ask, what would a reasonable amount of space be? The answer could be ten thousand square feet; the answer could also be a whole lot less.

Let God ask us to assess our needs for the season of life we are in, and acknowledge that seasons will change as kids come and go, as we care for aging parents, as incomes change, etc. We cannot be judgmental about someone else in this discipline, as what our neighbour needs will not be the same thing you or I need. Our standard should be based on the call of Christ in our lives, not keeping up with the Joneses.

Choose to focus on God. Don’t let your heart be enslaved to the things of this world. When we shift our focus to Him, His Peace will consume us. His Peace will overtake us. Pray and seek God’s face. Choose to let your heart reflect His Word. The landscape that we see today will change. The leaders that we see today will change. The nations that we see today will change. God never changes. His Word never changes. His Way of doing things will never change. Choose to shift your focus. Let’s build our lives on His Word. Build our lives on the Rock that never changes  

1 Peter 1:23-25 NET You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. For all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of the grass; the grass withers and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.

Downsizing, Minimalism is not about taking something away from us; it’s about giving something to us. Room for Jesus Christ. My definition of minimalism is “the intentional promotion of things we most value that bring glory to God, and encourage fellowship and the removal of anything that distracts us from Him.” Minimizing is actually optimizing—reducing the number of possessions so we can nurture what we value most in life and not become distracted from anything that keeps us from living out God’s purpose. It’s individual, freeing, and life promoting. 

We’ve found that minimizing our home changes attitudes toward what we hold on to and what we give away. That is, it encourages gratitude and generosity. Both attitudes can help us in becoming the person God wants us want to be.   When we not only don’t have too much stuff but also don’t want too much stuff, we experience a contentment that the person who lusts after the latest gadgetry and current must have items will never know. When our collections of possessions is down to just the stuff we need, then we not only notice them more but also appreciate them more. We feel satisfaction and peace. Gratitude arises within, and that’s a gift from Holy Spirit.  Gratitude also reminds us that we have so much to give others.

That leads us to generosity. Minimalism allows us to live a more selfless lifestyle. If we are no longer trying to live a life of get, get, get, we can begin living a life of give, give, give. We become generous people, the kind of people who water this parched world of ours. 

Maybe a first step means the giving of excess possessions. We can find great joy in donating to others. I hope you find that generosity brings its own rewards—that you will know God’s blessing, like how it makes us feel to give. 

Subsequently, we will look for more opportunities to be generous. If we sell items we no longer need we can use some of the excess money we have to support causes and ministries we believe in. If we simplify our schedules, use the availability we’ve created in our schedules to serve and volunteer. God loves a cheerful giver, a giver of time, money, assistance.