Stuff

When I started packing up the boxes in my apartment in preparation for our move, I couldn't believe how much stuff I had. But that really hit home when I unpacked the boxes here at the new house. Our new house is more than twice as big as the apartment we were living in and somehow we still have more than enough stuff to fill it. At our old apartment, the spare bedroom served as my office, extra closet space, a holding place for Estith's tools, all of his musical instruments, and the props for my company! It's a wonder I was able to get any work done in there!

At any rate, when we moved we didn't move right into our house but rather to my parent's house while we were waiting to close on the house. My parents graciously allowed us to store our stuff in one of their garage spaces. It was weird seeing all of our boxes and furniture filling that spac.e. All of my earthly possessions condensed into one area. And for the 2+ months it took us to close (longer than we'd expected!), we lived out of a couple of suitcases.

And to be honest, when I packed up my boxes and then again when I unpacked them, I felt guilty. Thinking about all that I have and how little others have made me want to start getting rid of stuff left and right. And yet, is that the answer? It's so easy to pack up a few garbage bags of extra clothes and take them to the Salvation Army or Goodwill, and yet, I'm not sure that's the answer. I read a book about simplicity in which the author Chris Heuertz said that we have to be careful with simplicity. It can become an idol. For example, why do we want to simplify? Is it to make ourselves feel better and assuage our conscience? Or do we forsake buying something that we don't need in order to use that money to help someone else? Simplicity for others vs. simplicity for self. That has given me a lot to think about. And then I love what Shane Claiborne had to say -- "If you're not willing to give something up, you don't own it -- it owns you."

I'm still trying to figure it all out -- how is God asking me to simplify? And how can I make it about the needs of others rather than about making myself feel better?