Simplicity

Had an interesting conversation with friends yesterday. It was a topic that comes up often in a house where this many people live: simplicity. We have had up to 11 people living in our house, nine of them being just Kregg, me and the kids. Just imagine: 10 sets of breakfast dishes, 10 pairs of jeans, 10 pairs of socks, 20 glasses (because nobody uses just one per day), 10 backpacks, 10 bicycles. You get the picture. 


An interesting thing happens when we take one of our long road trips in the travel trailer: our world is pared down to the bare minimum. It is so freeing. I find myself becoming very contemplative during these trips about this subject.


So here it is again. My friend said, "I have decided not to ever buy another thing. Ever!" 

Okay, so he was reacting to having to clean out his "bachelor-of-50+years" house because he just got married and is now not only a new husband, but a father to two precious children. He is forced to figure out how to fit all their stuff into the house.

But he has a point. What if we attempted to pare down our regular lives? Not just to go on a trip, but as a means of walking through life less encumbered. I don't mean live in a cave or anything. But what if we consciously chose to begin paring down what we own, do, are responsible for? Not just as an exercise in self-discipline, but to have more resources available for His use.


Michael Card, whose music is some of my very favorite, has a song that addresses this principle. Things We Leave Behind has always spoken to my heart and begs me to examine what I possess and why? To what do I give my time, my most valuable resource, and is it worth the expenditure?



What do you think?