A Simply Healthy by Caroline FauselSample

SIMPLIFY

Regardless of where you live and what the culture is like, I’m willing to bet that you are affected by what the people around you are doing. We all have a pull inside of us to keep up with the proverbial “Joneses,” no matter who those people are or what they’re like. This is the lie that repeats like a broken record: the more you get, the happier you’ll be.

But the truth is, the more we get, the more we want. We are coveters because it’s in our nature: the first recorded sin is coveting the pomegranate (do you also like to think it was a pomegranate?) in the Garden of Eden! We have never stopped since.

We so often replace the Creator in our hearts with his creation. This is idolatry at its most classic: worshiping things instead of the Creator of all things. And we’re all guilty of it! This is such a classic human problem, that about 15 percent of all that Jesus taught about is on money and possessions.

Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

The average American sees between 4,000 and 10,000 advertisements in a single day. These messages bombard us constantly, it’s no wonder we want more and more! So what is the godly response to more? It’s sacred simplicity. It goes by many names, but minimalism is consciously choosing less so we can experience more.

What did Jesus say about money? He said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). I don’t know about you, but I want my treasure to be Jesus. How do we swim against the current of consumerism? First, we decrease our possessions. Go through your house and decide what you actually need. (Not want . . . need). See if you can minimize and simplify as much as possible. There is a freedom that comes from having less. Our stuff ends up owning us through the maintenance of it all. Having less through the practice of sacred simplicity helps us focus on what is most important in our lives.

Once you’ve paired down your possessions, it’s important to look at what remains. For our family, practicing gratitude for what God has given us is like the antidote to consumerism. Gratitude takes us off the never-ending cycle of wanting more. Additionally, practicing generosity helps us see the extra we’ve been given and how God can use us to bless others. Take a quick inventory of your life. Where could you simplify? How could you practice gratitude or generosity today?