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We are now up to chapter 5 in Abundant Simplicity
Oh this one is hard for me. I love decorating my home. I love my home. I love new clothes. I love shopping.
But, when I’m spending above what we are making, and not able to give what we wish we could, purchasing those things is not glorifying to God at all. They aren’t bad things, they are just bad for me right now. It’s hard…because I can be in the store and think, “Oh it’s just a few dollars…it’s on sale, it’s such a great price!”
“This pruning work of eliminating even some good things is radical in a culture that routinely says, ‘The sky’s the limit!’ and ‘if I can afford it, I must deserve it.'” ~ Jan Johnson
Just because we can afford something doesn’t make it good or right or pleasing to the Lord. This culture is so materialistic. And I find myself falling into that temptation often.
I have started asking myself a few questions before purchasing:
why do I want this item? (or this $5 coffee drink!)
is it for status?
luxury?
it is excess?
what would happen if I waited 1 week to purchase this?
There are so many reasons to practice frugality, here are some from this chapter: builds character, allows us to spend more time with God, LESS stuff MORE God, we can pay more attention to others, we can bless others more, grows humility, less distraction, less debt.
“In prosperity we become more self-indulgent.” ~ Jan Johnson
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to become even more self-indulgent than I already am. I truly believe that a more simple life allows us to treasure God more. I truly believe that more stuff means more clutter means more distractions means LESS OF GOD.
Praying that these ideals can sink in deep…
**to read the rest of this Abundant Simplicity series, go here.
My sister shared this with me. It seemed to fit in well here as well.
Brené Brown writes in her book, Daring Greatly, that the opposite of scarcity isn’t abundance – it’s actually “enoughness” or Wholeheartedness. Trying to live in the “enoughness” isn’t easy – but it’s the healthiest place we can be.
“For me, and for many of us, our first waking thought of the day is “I didn’t get enough sleep.” The next one is “I don’t have enough time.” Whether true or not, that thought of not enough occurs to us automatically before we even think to question or examine it. We spend most of the hours and the days of our lives hearing, explaining, complaining, or worrying about what we don’t have enough of.… Before we even sit up in bed, before our feet touch the floor, we’re already inadequate, already behind, already losing, already lacking something. And by the time we go to bed at night, our minds are racing with a litany of what we didn’t get, or didn’t get done, that day. We go to sleep burdened by those thoughts and wake up to that reverie of lack.… This internal condition of scarcity, this mind-set of scarcity, lives at the very heart of our jealousies, our greed, our prejudice, and our arguments with life.…( 43– 45).”
– Lynne Twist
I have read/heard a lot about that book, I think I need to read it! 🙂 thanks for sharing!!