"Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 (CSB)
So we've done some significant changes around the house these past couple of weeks, and it has been amazing! I honestly do not know how we have survived this long without all the changes we have made.
I did a study about spiritual disciplines called, "Faith in Practice" with the She Reads Truth community at the beginning of the year, and currently reading "Celebration of Disciplines" by Robert J. Foster with my church community. And one of the disciplines that became heavy on my heart was 'simplicity.' We've known for a while the number of changes we needed to be doing to our home but never took action on following-through. But we did do a whole lot of complaining about it. And finally, this January, before even reading the discipline of "simplicity" - we got to work! And I have never felt freer in my life!
Best. Decision. Ever.
I can't help but wonder, why in the world did I ever think I needed so many things? What is the purpose of all this stuff that I just tossed so quickly? The only good I can see is how much we are able to donate to others that indeed do need or could utilize. I can't help to reflect on the scripture of Luke 12:15-21:
Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."' "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God."
It is so true the more money you make, the more you spend. Since my husband and I did a lifestyle change, knowing we would make significantly less, we have had to make many changes that most have scoffed at us for doing. But we have never been happier. We are richer now than we have ever been, and I can see the Promised Land through even the wilderness while my husband works so much overtime. Life is what you make it, and I refuse to submit to money anymore and be a slave to a paycheck and income because of our wants with greed. It has been a real eye-opener, but it's been worth it. And I am so excited for the future.
So we are freeing ourselves not just from being a slave to a paycheck and greed but now of unused stuff flooding our home. We are freeing ourselves from clutter and cleaning that took forever because of the amount of stuff we accumulated. We are freeing up time to spend with our kids. Time to sit and read to them, to enjoy and laugh with them. But most importantly, we are freeing up time to spend with God! Our Father, our Savior, our every single reason to breathe and move each day. I want to be free every day for the Holy Spirit to move through me and use me daily. I want to be FREE with God every single day!
Simplicity has brought so much freedom to our lives, and I cannot wait to see how much more we can give to others as we reveal more and more stuff that we see is just not essential anymore. I am so excited about this new kind of simple life!
See below for photos of our transformed home in the best kind of way!
But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 (CSB)
Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and willing to share, storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of what is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (CSB)
Also, I want to note that we do know we need money to operate in life. We are not saying wanting money is always wrong. We need money to survive for the most part, but that is a different argument for another day. I want to highlight want versus need in life and how thankful we are to find clarity on this subject and our family's specific needs for money and a great life.
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