I have been reading articles on downsizing of late. It is something that has bothered me since Lent. It is something I am only recently taking seriously.
We are savers.
We are packrats.
We are hoarders.
We are collectors.
We have our stuff.
We put people who lived through the “great depression” to shame.
I am not sure how we got this way…or why.
But to be honest: some of us are better at purging and downsizing than others. Some do not feel the same attachments. Some are better at cleaning out and getting rid of…but I also know this:
There are presently, today, more than 50,000 self-storage units in the United States that is five times the number of Starbucks Coffee restaurants. Every day new storage facilities are being added to that number.
We actually pay to “store” our extra stuff.
As a matter of fact, we have so much stuff that our homes, our garages can no longer contain them.
A little purging now and then is good for the soul.
I was recently reminded that when you get rid of something – that’s when you are going to need it and may indeed end up replacing it again. So beware!
It has been said, if your wardrobe has outgrown your closet and your dresser, then it’s time to downsize.
If you have not worn something in more than a year…it’s time to let it go…
Some of us love kitchen appliances and gadgets of every type. When was the last time you plugged in your bread-maker or your blender?
Some of us may still cling to our childhood memorabilia. Others hang on to old exercise equipment – that takes up space and morphs into clothing racks.
Then there is that stuff that may be chipped, broken or stained and yet we save it!
Somewhere there are those seasonal decorations that you haven’t used in five years or so. Yep, we still have them.
Books, magazines and DVD’s could be placed back into circulation so that others could enjoy them.
Come on now, you know you still have eight track cassettes and cassette players…somewhere…
And how many of us, still have citizen band radios, microphones and antennas lying around, good buddy?
And what is with some of the furniture that we hang on to? Worn, torn and ratty… It is not uncommon to overfill a room with furniture…that is never ever used.
And along comes Jesus.
I get it. It was a different time, a different age, a different culture. I understand that most people had only one change of clothes…besides what you were actually wearing.
One set of sandals – set you a part. (You were rich!)
And even so, the kind of life that Jesus speaks about – is choosing to live more simply.
How do you live more simply than one outfit, one in reserve and your daily bread?
And yet, that is precisely what Jesus is suggesting.
He called on people then, to intentionally have less stuff…to cease from amassing more stuff…and to discover a sense of well-being in a “just sharing” of material possessions…
Sometimes less is more…more than enough. We could live more simply with less stuff. Does “stuff” really make us happy? Is that what this life is really all about – stuff?
I know this: the dominant culture operates out of “the myth of scarcity.” There is not enough to go around. We know all about supply and demand. There is not enough for everyone. We have to compete for scarce resources. Buy now, before they are all sold out! Once sold out, it will be gone forever. So you better act today!
Jesus on the other hand saw great abundance and blessings on all sides, more than we either deserve or desire everywhere… God is good. Yahweh provides. Our God is a gracious God. He supplies all of our needs.
I tell you a little de-cluttering, now and then is good for the soul.
So, what is it that you treasure? I mean really, truly treasure…
After all is said and done – “how much” does anyone really truly need?