The following is part of a series being transferred from an old blog. I really think transferring this series is important part of our story which chronicles our debt-free, minimalist journey. Enjoy!
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January 9, 2014 We are undergoing a HUGE process of simplification. We are purging and purging our home of items that are unnecessary in our lives. As Americans we tend to have such an attitude of abundance that we hold on to things that eventually end up weighing us down. We have traveled to 3rd world countries and we know what poverty looks like. I remember after returning home from Haiti, the first of three visits, when we arrived stateside I was standing in the airport people watching. I was not standing in judgement, but I was just feeling sad and at the same time so grateful for all the privileges we have. I know that I know, our family just has too much stuff, granted it is "good" stuff, but it is weighing us down none the less. People are so incredibly generous with our family so we get stuff passed down to our family sometimes on a monthly bases. We have a homeschool space that has over $1000 worth of donated items that we were given one year. We have a large family and we homeschool, so the generosity is always appreciated. However, our family is extremely busy on a continual bases and our free time is non-existent most days, this is why we love decorating cakes so much it allows some creative "play" time for our family.We are getting ready to chart some new territory this next year into a land we have yet to see. There is some excitement mingled with concern of the unknown, but one thing is for certain.... Stuff brings responsibility! The more stuff we have the more responsibility we incur.I was studying Luke this week and I had a Rhema or LIVING word pass my mind...
"Take nothing for your journey," he instructed them. "Don't take a walking stick, a traveler's bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. Luke 9:3 NLT
I always thought this scripture was just was indicative of how YHWH would provide for the disciples during their commission from Yeshua. However, when I re-read it I realized that had the disciples taken any of those items they would have to lug them around and care for them. This would cause them to worry about how to store them, carry them and maybe even protect them from thieves. It was like a little light bulb went off in my head.📷It's the simple things in life that make it so precious... (Photo: My kids enjoying some quite time)When we re-located from the Island of Crete we arrived in Oregon with just some suitcases of clothing and that was basically it. We bought a van and we re-started our life with a modest amount of money in the bank that disappeared within months of our arrival. It ended up taking three months for our household goods to arrive and in that time we ran out of money and my husband had a job that was working him like a slave and paying him like one, a very meager wage. We had one child at that time and I could remember going to the store and buying just enough fruit so she could have some daily, meanwhile Clinton lost 20lbs quickly because our grocery budget was small. We took the van's back seat out to provide seating in our rented manufactured home and our new church was extremely giving and a had "Pound Party" for us, where congregants brought us pounds of food!We acclimated quickly to our new surroundings and started up a home group to fellowship together in our home. I remember thinking, "Oh Lord I don't even have money for refreshments or coffee to offer my guest." I can't remember the details, but someone dropped off a full can of coffee without me even asking, while another time someone miscellaneously donated some cash that was the exact amount for us to pay a utility bill. We know what it is like to be hungry and to have plenty.
One memory I have of that time that was most vivid was the utter enjoyment of not having stuff to take care of. Cleaning was so easy and quick even with a toddler and a newborn. Washing clothes was a breeze because we had so little. Washing dishes was not a problem to do by hand because we only had a few. Whenever life gets overwhelming I long for those times of simplicity.
It’s the simple things in life that make it so precious.
(2014 Photo: My kids enjoying some quite time)
I am ready to embark on our new adventure. We are in the process of getting rid of our animals and we are going through the kids rooms and getting rid of bags and bags of STUFF. We are getting ready to list our home for sale and it is our intent to be debt free, so that means no financing a large amount of money to pay for a home. So, that means starting over again. We are currently debt free minus our home and a foolish second we took out on our home to remodel it. This means we may be like Nomads for a season with our RV as our home."I am not sure what the future holds, but this I know, I know WHO holds our Future!"And it is for this reason I can have peace in our circumstance. #IntentionalLiving #Minimalist #StartingOver
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