God With Usનમૂનો

Practicing the “With-ness” of Simplicity

Full confession:

I’m a bit of a packrat.

You never know when you might need another piece of wood, a favorite T-shirt from college (that doesn’t fit anymore), or those extra IKEA parts. Although I might not qualify for an episode of the TV show Hoarders, if one were to examine my tool chest, bookshelves, or closet, one might find some things collecting more dust than good use. I know I’m not the only one.

North America's self-storage industry is valued at over $57 billion, and massive growth is projected in the next few years.[1] We collect, we store, and we collect more. We are a people of a lot of stuff, and Christmas often just adds more to the pile, as we buy gifts no one needs and receive gifts we’ll never use.

Yet when I look at the Christmas story, I’m struck by its profound simplicity: a baby born to a young migrant couple, strips of simple cloth, and a dirty feeding trough because there was no suitable room at the “Holiday” Inn. Jesus comes without pretense or fanfare into the most humble of settings.

What if the story’s simplicity is a key to understanding Immanuel’s “with-ness?” Maybe we have layered the season with so much consumerism and materialism that we have missed the essence of the story.

In the book Essentialism, Greg McKeown says: “We overvalue nonessentials like a nicer car or house, or even intangibles like the number of our followers on Twitter or the way we look in our Facebook photos. As a result, we neglect activities that are truly essential, like spending time with our loved ones, or nurturing our spirit, or taking care of our health.”[2]

If we want to experience the reality of “God with us” this Christmas, we should consider decluttering our lives and practicing more simplicity. Focusing on the things that matter will lead us to less stress and more joy. Maybe this Christmas, we could be men who think about working, spending, and shopping less so we could reflect, give, and love more.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for coming to this earth in the most humble of circumstances to demonstrate how far You would go to seek and save the lost. Help me focus less on what I have and more on the things that really matter. Amen.

Reflection: How could you spend less to give more this Christmas? How can you be intentional with your time to model “with-ness” in your family and community?

[1] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/self-storage-market-size-expected-150000648.html

[2]Greg McKeown. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. New York: Crown Currency, 2020, p.110.