'Tis a Gift to be Simple …
Karen Johnson Zurheide

"Help! I'm drowning! I'll never make it!" I was adrift in a vast ocean of yet-to-be-unpacked moving boxes. With husband and children off to their new assignments, it was up to me to make order out of chaos in our new home.

The discouraging part was that I really thought we had pared down our possessions. After ten years in one place, we had accumulated a lot of stuff. And even though we had ruthlessly culled extraneous belongings — selling, giving away and throwing out — we still had so much! (Probably less stuff than many families, but certainly more than four people needed.)

Princeton social scientist Robert Wuthnow found that about 84 percent of Americans see materialism as a "serious social problem" — and not just because of the challenges inherent in finding places to store all of their stuff! Racing after possessions leads to complicated and discontented lives. If we expect things to make us happy, then we'll tend to select jobs based mainly on pay, choose to work longer hours, and often trade precious time — that could go into relationships and rejuvenation — for money to buy more things. If things are what makes us happy, then we'll never be confident of our worth — for someone else will always have more. We'll be perpetually dissatisfied and then pass that spiritual emptiness on to our children. As the Bible says, "Those who trust in their riches will wither" (Proverbs 11:28a).

By contrast, the song "Simple Gifts," describes a satisfaction that materialism can never bring:

"'Tis a gift to be simple,
'Tis a gift to be free;
'Tis a gift to come down
Where we ought to be."

If we are free in Christ, we can live simply — not enslaved to culture, things, success. If we live simply, we can be free — free of peer pressure, the stress of living beyond our means, the compulsion to earn all we can. Simplicity and freedom go together.

Practically, in our materialistic culture how can we move in the direction of simplicity?

• Step Back from the Culture — based on biblical principles, develop personal and family guidelines for spending money and time
• Choose Carefully — learn to say no, even to good things and activities
• Purchase Wisely — seek quality; know when to spend less than you can afford
• Stay Lean — buy less, and unload what you do not use
• Be Generous — give away money and time
• Teach and Learn from Children — remember that time spent together is more important than things.

In the parable of the rich fool, Jesus stated that "Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions" (Luke 12:15). Concluding the parable, He instructed His disciples:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing" (Luke 12:22-23).

Pray that you would clearly see what is important in your life and that God would give you the grace to simplify your life by letting go — emotionally, and perhaps physically — of what does not matter.