The Concept of Minimalism
"Less is more" is what is commonly said, but is not really followed in the culture we live in. More is better. More clothes, more cars, more of everything. Us humans tend to get our validation and security from our stuff. We are valuable only if we have valuable things. It’s just like the way people find their identities in what they do or the various roles they play, being a mother, wife or employe.
We are constantly seeking something to fill that void we have in us, and nothing really ever satisfies it.
Those new shoes will soon become worn shoes. That new car smell will fade, and keeping up with the Jones’s/Kardashians may prove to be more work than we could have anticipated.Materialism is a real problem in the world we live in. People are addicted to stuff. Media and marketers have benefited greatly from our dissatisfaction and discontent with our lives. Consuming more and more does not make you happy. Having more and more stuff does not bring satisfaction.
Related Post: 4 Insights from a Year of No Shopping
My friend and I watched a really interesting documentary called Minimalism, which speaks a lot about the “American Dream”. Granted some of us are not in America, but we all have that idea about the “perfect life.”You know the white-picket fence, the Golden Retriever and the 2.5 kids. I believe a part of growing up and maturing is letting go of the way you believed "life should be," and embracing the plan that God has for you.It is not just about consumerism but also about the fact that we allow things to dictate happiness and fulfillment to us. What brings true happiness and peace?
Deep connections and relationships with people.
We are to love people and use stuff, yet many are caught up in a culture of using people and loving stuff. Stuff can become an idol and a distraction that may move your focus from the more important things, to the slightly more superficial. Look, having things is not wrong at all but don’t let these things have you. It's a false sense of security, a false sense of achievement.
Proverbs 4:23 reminds us to think about what we are allowing into our hearts. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” If we are allowing the glare of the SALE sign and the temptation of consumerism to get into our hearts, this is something to be wary of. God still loves you, don’t even doubt that, but He wants you to live a life free from anything that will distract you from experiencing true happiness.This documentary was really eye-opening and interesting, but this does not mean I am going to give away half my wardrobe and live in a little match box house. However, it challenges you to reassess your life and what you are placing your worth in or deriving your value from.
Our worth can only be found in our relationship with God.
You cannot get the benefits of a relationship, without the actual relationship. You cannot know that you can trust God, if you do not know Him. I would encourage you to take a step towards getting to know Him. Taking this step you will experience His peace and joy and satisfaction in Him. A satisfaction that the world (try as it might) will never be able to give.Paul hit the nail on the head when he advised Timothy in the book of Timothy, saying, "Now godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:6) Being content, with what we have is pretty difficult for us as a society steeped in comparison and competition. Yet we are called to a different lifestyle, and, particularly as Jesus-followers, we have been translated into a new kingdom. Colossians 2:13 states, "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love."It is up to us to walk in and to occupy this new kingdom. Trusting God, even when things are not going well. We should be living a life of gratitude and peace, with less of the fake and more of the real.