What Minimalism can Teach Christians about Clarifying Purpose
Can I be completely honest? I started this blog seven different times. I wrote seven different openings, some anecdotes, some historical accounts. One was colloquial and two were overtly formal. Some were a too passionate and one was very boring.
So, yes, even I need help when it comes to clarifying purpose. Lucky for you, I’ve taken my own advice and learned a lesson along the way. What lesson you ask? We all need to get better at defining our purpose in a world with overwhelming options.
You’ve seen it right? There’s a hashtag for everything. There’s a movement for everything. And yes, even a ministry for everything (I have recently met two separate Christian Clowns, and no, they did not know each other). It seems not even the church is immune to the culture of “finding purpose,” and honestly, we aren’t doing much better than the world at helping our people find it.
Why is this problematic?
Because if we don’t get down to the bedrock of our purpose we will default to our dominant cultural purpose. Period. Newsflash: that will invariably be, “do whatever makes you happiest,” or “whatever you feel too guilty not to do.” And while we may recognize those motivations in our own lives, when have we ever been called, as Christians, to do either of those things?
So, what things will help us hone our purpose and keep us from defaulting? Well, I’m glad you asked. (And for those who read the title of the blog and are waiting for me to get there, buckle up).
Minimalism is probably not a new concept for us. It’s permeated the world of home décor, artwork, and architecture, as well as our lifestyles. To be a minimalist is to live on only what one needs, or what brings one joy. Nothing superfluous allowed.
I think most would agree that our lives are easily filled with superfluous things. And not just with the acquisition of more and better things, but with the clutter of time, headspace, and our calendars, too. But we shy away from a life of minimalism, fearing we’d be accepting an almost monastic lifestyle. However, Joshua Becker, a thought-leader on minimalism, makes the claim that the modern idea of minimalism is not actually detachment, self-denying living. Rather, Becker believes it’s aboutdecluttering our lives, and most importantly, our values, in order to experience the things we love, more fully.
“Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it.” —Joshua Becker
So, as Christians, is there anything we can learn from this personal, material, and internal inventory that will declutter our values, and hone our purpose? I believe so.
It’s my thought that a Christian’s greatest aim, biblically and historically, is the making of disciples, for the building of God’s church and the glory of His name. You’re welcome to frame it differently, add or subtract, but holistically and across denominations I think I’m close in common ground. And yet, we find all manner of other things to clutter this very simple goal.
Distractions crowd in and take our attention away from it.
Timewasters replace spiritual disciplines that build to it.
The pursuit of our talents obscures the mission completely.
Now, before we go any further, I’m not saying that because we share this aim that we all have the same purpose. We are too diverse a people to generalize that and I believe God has a purpose specific to your uniqueness. To make disciples and glorify His name is a mission we all share. But how we do that, is incredibly different. The world needs you to be called to your specific locations, people groups, and industries. But focusing in on this common mission can help us minimalize the distractions calling us away from our purpose.
Shall we look at Paul?
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, a the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” – Ephesians 1:1-2
Paul knew his purpose. He knew WHO he was (Paul), WHAT he was doing (Apostle), by WHOSE power he was doing it (by Jesus Christ’s will), and for WHOM he was doing it (to God’s people). He knew these things firmly. He also knew that anything additional would clutter his mission and distract from his purpose.
We could paint Paul as a minimalist. He had a singular focus, outworked in various ways through various people. He refuses to add to it or subtract from it (Rom 1:8; Gal 1:7-8; 2 Cor 11:4). Every time he begins a letter he ‘promotes’ the things he values most. His purpose. Independent of whatever circumstance he finds himself in, whether rich or poor, free or in prison, Paul’s purpose is at the forefront of every word and action.
Now, what about you?
Do you feel Paul’s singular focus about your values, and your purpose? Or do you feel often distracted, pulled in many directions, cluttered of heart?
Minimalists ask themselves a lot of questions when they begin their journey. Questions that help guide them to where they want to be. Perhaps you feel you know your calling but need to evaluate your distractions. Perhaps you don’t quite know what God has deemed your unique purpose at all.
Either way, I’d like you to do as the minimalists do, but not as regards your closet, or calendar, but as regards your heart, the thing that you uniquely feel passionate about.
Ask yourself these questions. Write down your answers. Pray about them.
1) The minimalist asks, do I LOVE it? The Christian asks, does it show Jesus’s love?
2) The minimalist asks, will I use this a year from now? The Christian asks, will this endeavour still be relevant a year from now?
3) The minimalist asks, do people live without this in other parts of the world? The Christian asks, am I ok with people living without this (mission, ministry, truth, etc.) in my part of the world?
4) The minimalist asks, does my attachment to this cause any pain/nostalgia? The Christian asks, am I willing to endure pain because of my commitment to this?
5) The minimalist asks, am I naturally drawn to this thing/space? The Christian asks, am I naturally drawn to this need or these people?
6) The minimalist asks, if I died tomorrow would my life reflect what really matters most to me? The Christian asks, if I died tomorrow would my life really reflect what matters most to God?
A great place to start learning more about minimalism and its place in our Christian walk is at Joshua Becker’s website: https://www.becomingminimalist.com/
You can hear Carey Nieuwhof interview Joshua on episode 482 of the Carey NieuwhofPodcast: https://careynieuwhof.com/episode482/ Carey also includes other resources and links related to the interview topic at this link.
Another inspirational podcast that inspired some of this content is John mark Comer and Jefferson Bethke’s short run podcast: “Fight Hustle, End Hurry” https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/fight-hustle-end-hurry/id1480300467