Day 2: Stuff

Minimalism is making quite a comeback. From the tiny house movement to Real Simple Magazine to The Minimalists Podcast (tagline: “Less is Now!”) and "Tidying Up" with Marie Kondo, it turns out I wasn’t the only one sick of my stuff running my life...

In Stuff We Trust?

Our trust cannot be in things. 

Our safety and security must not be rooted in them. They don’t, can’t, won’t last. Saving every piece of our children’s artwork won’t keep them young. Making sure we have the very best furniture won’t strengthen our marriage. Buying the newest kitchen gadget won’t help us love our neighbors better. (Unless that gadget is a self-cleaning kitchen robot, in which case count me in.) 

Cars, houses, toys, clothing—they rust, age, break, and go out of style. “Store up treasure in heaven,” Jesus tells the crowds who’ve followed him up the mountain, “because where your treasure is, your heart will be there also.”

After all, God isn’t a God of stuff. He has very little interest in our possessions, except to remind us that they must never be our utmost concern. Instead he cares for us—body, mind, and soul—and points us toward caring for our neighbors. The less stuff I have to manage, the more I can manage that.

Reflection/Discussion Questions

1. What area of your home is most cluttered? How do your emotions play a part in keeping things you don’t need?
2. Barbara Cawthorne Crafton wrote in Bread and Wine, “We travail. We are heavy laden. Refresh us, O homeless, jobless, possession-less Savior. You came naked, and naked you go. And so it is for us. So it is for all of us.” What significance does it have for us that we follow a Savior who had no earthly home or belongings? What might God be working to teach us through this example?
3. Read Matthew 6:19–21. How can we store up treasures in heaven? How does storing up treasures here on earth divert our attention from lasting treasure? What is one earthly treasure that distracts you from eternal things?
4. Do you have trouble getting rid of things you don’t use regularly “just in case” you need them later? Do these “just in case” items bless or burden you?
5. Does your stuff fit your space? Does it fit your needs and the needs of those who share your space? If not, what is one concrete step you can take this week toward eliminating physical clutter?