Christian Homekeeping

Purging sounds so much more accomplished than decluttering, don't you think?  Not only has God been purging things in my life and even those around me but I've also been purging physical things in my home.  I held on to a lot of things but realized that maybe I'm holding on to some of them because I'm afraid of poverty.  I hadn't voiced this to anyone but God knew and it was recently shared by my pastor in a bible study - the fear of poverty.  I was thinking - wow, I hadn't even shared that and yet, God let the man of God know that someone needed to hear it!

Fear of poverty can cause you to hoard things or hold on to things.  In my case it was thinking that I wouldn't have the money to replace the items later on when I would need them.  For example, I was saving my daughter's old clothes from all the way back to when she was a toddler up until recently.  I was saving the clothes for our next baby, but we got a boy - so, I realized that if I saved for the next baby, those clothes would be there a long time before she would even be able to wear them.  However, when I decided to get rid of them and even sold a few, I started closing up and became scared to let them go.  I was scared I wouldn't be able to find such nice things again and scared that I wouldn't have the money to buy my next child clothes.

I finally was able to let go of the sentimental value of them but I still held on to the fear of poverty.  Not only did God reassure me in the recent study that I shouldn't fear that - He also showed me that fear of poverty was actually unbelief.  Unbelief is something that is not given much attention in the Christian world today.  Yet, it has the same ability to send you to hell as does murdering someone.

Revelation 21:8

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

God has taken care of us when we barely had any money and in our time of plenty.  Not only did God always provide our every need, He also fulfilled some of our wants!  Satan wants us to think that if we let go of something there will be a time we will regret it and we will be without.  If you let go of those clothes, your child will be naked and without he says.  That isn't faith talk - that is faithLESS talk!  That is fear-based future planning and not something that we should heed.

You could even have everything set for your future all nice and in pretty little rows, figuratively speaking - but things could come and take that all away in a moment.  That is why we are commanded not to trust in riches (abundance of external possessions) because they are not certain - only God is!!

It is one thing to have a storehouse and be wise, but it is another to hoard because we fear the future.  God can take care of us, we don't need to be ruled by fear of our future.  If we are in God's will, we can rest in that and know that He will meet all of our needs!

I've been decluttering and simplifying a lot of things in my life lately - everything from deleting some blogs I had, to things around the home.  One of the things that bother me is our paper situation.  We have papers all over the house in different places and storage bins.  There is a small cabinet here and then a a file box there and then a pile here and on and on.  I decided that it was worth the money to buy a large filing cabinet to condense everything down into ONE location.

This will eliminate a lot of other filing areas and thus open up more space in those areas and add more things to our increasing yard sale pile we got going on for this summer.  I found the size, color and style of the filing cabinet I wanted at Office Max, it was the cheapest price as shipping was free (and it arrived fast) and it came with a FREE utility tote bag that I just love!  I also ordered 100 colorful hanging file folders because I love my color!

The picture got cut off, but this is a 4-drawer filing cabinet.





The file cabinet fits like it was made to go between the bookshelf and the kitchen counter and now I wonder how did I go this long without one of these?  I can't wait to organize it and do all my files, it is definitely a project that will take a while but it is another step toward simplifying my life a little bit more.

Have you ever came across a photo or a drawing and have it take you somewhere that you knew you wanted to be but didn't know how to get there?  Your heart ached for that place where you knew you belonged.  Then, a few years or even months later, that feeling came back again but this time, maybe it was from a smell or simply an idea that you heard and you were once again reminded of that.....place.

I've been to 'that' place so many times in my life and recently it is occurring closer together than ever before as I'm nearing it.  To me, that place is full of peace and happiness and most of all - simplicity.  I keep going towards it and getting closer but never yet touching it.  I seem to foil my own plans of reaching it.  It is a place that I once knew before the distractions of this technological world came.  Before the internet, before the blogs and all the mass of ideas floating around the internet - before the overload.

That place for me is simplicity.  The simple things in life.  Freshly baked bread wafting through the house, a house that is simple and yet lovely.  Flowers from my garden in a vase on the table.  My children playing on the floor with toys they invented themselves.  No internet or techie device - definitely no gaming devices.  A cup of tea and cookies await me on the covered porch with my Bible and stacks of books as I spend a few hours engrossed in their pages.

What I've come to realize is that this place is getting closer as I continue to simplify my life and rid myself of things that just aren't important.  I'm on the path to that place - and it will be worth it when I get there!

Our society is so bent on stuff that I say its high time that we stop the inSTUFFity!  ;-)  Even in my own life, over the past year, I reached the place of true contentment and found that it wasn't material goods that gave it.  I grew up in a family that bought stuff to feel good.  They showed love for you by buying you stuff and my dad's favorite phrase was "I bought it because I love you Bev".  Now, in part that was true - buying others things is a selfless act and according to the Bible we SHOULD want to give good things to our children, but at the same time - money can't buy love.

I grew up just like my family, feeling that we need stuff to be happy.  Even after salvation, I thought we must have stuff.  My husband is totally opposite for he grew up in a very frugal family and could wear shoes out till they are literally falling apart lol!  So God putting the 2 of us together was pure genius!  However, over the years I only became a burden and millstone to my husband by using all his hard-earned money to buy myself "happiness".  Time and time again he would let me spend, spend, spend, only to find that it never made either of us truly happy.

It took me YEARS to come to the realization that I had to stop the inSTUFFity!  This past year has been transitional for me and life changing.  God has really done a work in my life through the school of hard knocks and life's experiences teaching me.  I needed this.  I needed the hard way because it was going to take that to reprogram my brain from the way I had been raised.

It actually started back in 2007, when God stopped me dead in my tracks and I spent 13 days in the hospital.   It was then that it really all began but this past year it was finalized.  I can now say in all honesty, that I'm truly content and happy and it isn't because of stuff.  I found out what I truly value and now see through the consumeristic fix for what it truly is - an endless pursuit of happiness that is never satisfied.

Now, when I purchase things and bring them into my home - I have to find how they will be useful.  With my daughter, I let her buy what she wants with the money she earns but also try and teach her to value things but she is a kid and can't seem to grasp that yet lol.  I've also purged our home and am always continually purging what has no value, use or that I don't have a love for.  I'm still struggling to let some things go, but day by day, God is helping me.

We went to IKEA yesterday and years ago if I had gone there, I would have walked out with a house full of things on a credit card but now its just a few things with money I saved being frugal in other areas.  This time I walked out with just a few items that will serve a use in our home.

I can testify to you all right now that living simple is the way to go!  You have more time to LIVE LIFE and less time taking care of your stuff!  The more stuff you have, the more TIME you spend maintaining it.  Now, I only clean once a week and have more time to do things I love and to spend with my family.  You make time for the things that YOU think are important.  I think my husband and child are important - so I make the time to homeschool my child and to meet my husband's needs.  I don't love stuff more than them.  I don't need stuff to fulfill me.  THANK GOD, I'm not that shallow anymore!!

There are numerous stories online of people that have reached this epiphany in their life that I have.  You may remember my dear friend, Candy's story here.  Then, today I came across this story and here is a quote that is so true:

“People matter, not stuff, and your house is nothing more than a closet — just a big place to store all your stuff.”

I asked Candy to share her testimony because she has been used by God as an instrument in my life and hopefully others as well.  This testimony speaks volumes and I know other's hearts will be touched by her story.

Bev has asked me if I could do a guest post for her about my husband and my life and our choosing to live simple. It is a pleasure to be able to share a little about how we came to live simple.

Make sure to read another guest post by Candy about how to simplify your home:
http://www.christianhomekeeping.com/2009/06/guest-post-simplifying-home.html

Some value material goods - cars, houses and lands.  Others may value hobbies, spending time and money in whatever it may be.  Then others, value people and family.

When you make major life decisions, such as marriage, children, buying a home and finances - you have to realize what you really value and want out of life and make sure your future spouse does too!  What brings you the most joy?  If a child doesn't bring you joy you are a mental nutcase LOL!  Ok, so I threw that one in there for all you child nazi's.  Do sticks of wood as big as you can get it bring you joy?  Or rather having others see you drive around in a fancy car give you what you need in the joy-filled department?  Is it the pitter-patter of little feet coming down the hall saying "mommy"?  Or how about your table filled with friends and laughter during the holidays?

For us, we value family and people.  I used to want a big house, luxury car, latest, trendiest clothes and all that but I think I grew up lol.  Now, I realize that what brings me the most joy, besides God of course, is something that God himself has given me - my husband and my child.  I understand contentment more now than I did a few years ago.  We have lived in a one bedroom apartment all crammed together and we have even lived in a large 3bedroom, 3 floor townhome that was way too much space for us.   What I have learned through living small and living in a larger space is that it doesn't bring me joy like I thought it would.  Rather, I crave a simpler home that doesn't take hours to clean so I can spend more time with my precious family.  It sounds kooky, but I've begun to love our paid-for used car.  Somehow, along the way the desire to get, get, get or have that "dream" car dissipated because I realized I would rather spend my money elsewhere.  I think to myself, if I was given $50K, I would invest it for our future and my daughter's - 5 years ago, I would have bought a BMW with it lol.  But see, that car would get old but knowing my daughter would have a great start in life is priceless.

I could see myself living happily the rest of my life with the children God gives us doing His will for our lives in a small, adequate home with a dependable vehicle.  I guess I just value those things that we can take to Heaven with us - what can compare?  Is it the endless pursuit of consumerism and the building of bigger barns, so to speak,  that is causing so many stress-related illness' and worry over extra responsibilities that come with having more?  Have we took the time we could have had to help others and our families and spent it all up in the care of our material goods?  The more you have, the more care and time it takes.

We have to weigh our options with our life's decisions and know what we value and build upon that.  If you want to be cleaning everyday of the week in your 5000sqft mansion that is so empty and quite because you hated children, then have at it if that is what you value!  Meanwhile, I will be running down the slip n' slide with my children, showered in their kisses and enjoying my humble abode that takes 30 minutes to clean! ;-)

In the end, what really matters?  Make the grass greener on your side!  It's your life - make it worthwhile and ENJOY the life God has given you and be happy and joyful in all you do and above all - learn to be content in whatever situation you may be in!