Simplify

There are many Bible verses that come to mind when I think of simplifying our lives for God. The one that stands out that I find myself attempting to live by each day, however, is Matthew 6:19-21. It says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also".

Every time I find myself wanting something for my house or for myself, or my kids are begging for new toys or video games or "things", I pull out this verse. I have to confess it has kept me from making many unnecessary purchases in the past and I hope it will in the future as well.

My kids know the verse well these days. The temptations around us daily are too thick for even the most devout person to get through at times, especially children that are still learning what is necessary and what is not. Society says more is better, bigger is better! We can't watch a t.v. show without being bombarded by commercials for new things, and upgrades to things we already have that were new only a month or two ago, or things we supposedly can't live without. Yes, sometimes these things look super cool and I wish I had them, but then reality kicks in. This verse, rather, kicks in. It reminds me that in this world, less should be more. Our relationship is with God. That relationship is worth more than all of the riches of this earth. The buzz you get when you make a new purchase is only temporary and fades, but the buzz we get from our relationship with God never ends and only builds us up and makes us better. "Things" don't make me happy, my family that God has blessed me with makes me happy. The friends that God has blessed me with makes me happy. Helping others that God has allowed me to help, makes me happy.

It makes me sad to see our society so Godless and empty lately. So many people, especially the youth, have been caught in this constant temptation and feel entitled to have whatever their heart desires. This is creating an empty and selfish world for many. I pray daily that I don't fall prey and that my kids learn this lesson early and often that something they like or want does not equal something they need. I don't always succeed or profess myself to be perfect or without temptations of worldly goods. However, I will continue to strive for that simplicity.

Recently I posted on my Facebook page that our family has already started the process of implementing life changes to our family. I explained that as a family we have decided to get rid of a good majority of what we own. Our house is full. We have a decent sized house but there are 6 people, 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 6 daycare children that occupy it daily. That doesn't leave a lot of room. We have too much furniture, too much paperwork, too much stuff. Over half of what we own we do not need. The purpose is to simplify. Decluttering and having less "stuff" will make life less stressful in many ways. One way is it will mean less cleaning and picking up, less concern for items we own, and more time to put our focus where it is truly needed, on God. Our goal is to simplify our worldly lives to start 'storing up our treasures in Heaven', by being more present with God.

A few people suggested I should blog about this because they too are interested in simplifying. I am in NO WAY a professional organizer, or even been called organized since my daughter was born 5 years ago. I will blog about our process, and our journey. Maybe it will help motivate someone to try to simplify their lives as well. This will be a long process for our family because surely life will get in the way and other obligations will come up. Our goal is to get rid of most of the stuff within a year - then maintain our simplified attitude. So here goes....welcome to our journey! Step one: clothes!


Heavenly Father, Fill our hearts daily with the strength we need to fight temptations. Help us to understand that things of this world will deteriorate and break and get ruined, but our relationship with you will always be strong. Guide me Lord to teach this to my own children. Let me be strong in the journey and let go of those "things" we no longer need that keeps us from getting closer to you. Thank you for all of the blessings you have given us.
Amen