Simple Living

I wanted to follow that up with some continued conversation from my forum board. The comment was made that if someone owned a HDTV then they were fooling their selves if they thought they loved the poor.

Quote: “And anybody who says they love the poor and owns an HDTV is only fooling themselves.”

As you can imagine, this sparked some pretty interesting conversation. It all culminated with a statement that sparked me to ask some questions about this person’s life. His last response to my questions is really what I wanted to share with you this week but I have to give you the background first.

Originally Posted by Fighter4Christ
I think if America Christians started to live simply, not only would the draw closer to God but they could also make an extreme impact on poverty...

Originally Posted by Dragon Cowboy
So... are you and Kris drawing closer to God? How is this simple life working for you? I'm not being sarcastic here but genuinely interested. Are you struggling to live on that minimum or are you both living comfortably? What are you doing about your debt? How is this life-style affecting your ability to give (not tithe but give)? How has this enhanced your life? Jesus promises us an abundant life when we live in him... where is that abundance in your life? To be honest... I think these are the things you should be sharing with us, not so much that an HDTV means I don't love the poor but if I were to do without an HDTV how much more could I love the poor and how that affects my life, the lives of those around me and my relationship with Jesus Christ.

Originally Posted by Fighter4Christ
Before I answer your questions, I need to emphasize that Kris and I are in the middle of what could be called downshifting. So while we are in the process of living simply, we definitely are not yet there.

I have personally drawn closer to God than I have in a very long time. My prayer time has increased to more than it’s ever been in my life. I have begun more than just typical prayer, but also a presence-based meditation time. However, The coolest thing is to watch him perform small miracles for us. In the past 3 weeks alone He has bluntly and divinely interceded. This could be something small like me only getting 3 hours of sleep a night, yet waking up in the morning feeling like I just woke from a 10 hour slumber, and it has been something more tangible like MULTIPLE random checks coming in through our faulty mail system. Kris and I have received 3-4 checks in the past few months totaling several hundred dollars from our insurance agent because of "miscalculations" on their end. So yeah, the coolest thing is defiantly experiencing God perform miracles.

Another really cool aspect is total dependence on Him. If He didn't take care of us, our bills would not get paid, my homework would not get done, and the house would be in shambles if God didn't take care of us. If you look at our situation with a rational outlook, the numbers simply don't add up.

We absolutely love the changes we have made so far. We have made a conscience effort to spend our spare time with each other, friends, and family. I actually have the opportunity to disciple my cousin. While we don't have the most or best food, we appreciate what we DO have. I mean, the food that I eat actually TASTES better! Like I said, we are FAR from simple living, we have 3 computers, an HDTV, Wii, a Pioneer home audio system, and a few expensive bedroom....items. We are still trying to figure out what to do with the stuff we have been given while trying to live simply. Kris and I have been living on around 18,000 a year…and we just very recently decided to reduce our living costs to just over 14,000 a year, so Kris can quit her McDonalds job. However, the biggest thing is that we are getting prepared to live in community. There are two outlets in which this may manifest itself. The first is Kris and I moving in with a few friends to inner-city canton. We would be combining our finances to live simply and use the excess to glorify God. We would also use this as a base of operations for a ministry we run called Love the Children. The second route is Kris and I moving to Atlanta to participate in a ministry program called Mission Year. This would be more of a training year to better do what Kris and I are trying to do on our own.

Actually, the struggle is in developing the mindset of simple living. The actual “sacrifices” we make are nothing, really. This is largely because they lead to a more fulfilling happiness then the things they are replacing. So, for example, the struggle is in realizing that Xbox, and Xbox Live were unnecessary; once we realized this and let go not only were we able to bless the person we gave it to, but we have also been able to use that time we for more fulfilling activities…like cuddling. At the same time, we screw up ALL the time. Just yesterday we went out to longhorn to have some drinks and dessert. Sometimes I cave in for fast-food during all the commuting I do. Were not perfect, we fall to our consumeristic passions sometimes. Good thing God has grace. Financing wise, because we spend less money, there is less money to keep track of. So it makes A LOT easier. However, it puts a very big importance on the actual money management that is done, because a mistake could mean you don’t by groceries for that week.
I worked my butt off to make sure I didn’t have any debt going into our marriage. We own both of our cars, and rent a cheap apartment. The only debts we have are what I put on the credit card (which gets paid off every month), and my school loans. My dad said he will take care of those…we will see how that goes in a couple of months. We still tithe. Unfortunately, I am still rather busy between work, school, and the whole marriage thing. However, Kris has devoted a large portion of the time she doesn’t work to volunteer activities. As mentioned earlier, I have begun discipling my cousin. Once I’m out of school, I plan on also volunteering my time. Both Kris’s and my relationships with other people have gotten much more rich. When you give your time to invest in other people, they notice. Do you know what its like to actually walk into my classes and know everybody’s names? Our lives are less stressed, and other people can see that.

I would say while at first glance it may seem like our life has been downgraded, in reality, it is so much more fulfilling than it ever has been. Its like if you have been eating a loaf of bread every time you get hungry, but then you want more 5 minutes later. Living simply is like instead of eating that loaf of bread, you eat a handful of nuts. It may look like a lot less, but it is so much more filling. Here is an odd note to boot. Simple living is turns out to be a lot more environmentally friendly. You make all of your resources last longer, and you consume less as an individual to start with. This can range anywhere from recycling clothes to growing some food (fruits, vegetables, spices, etc) for yourself so you buy less at the grocery store. Because Kris and I have decided to make this a focus of ours, our relationships have flourished the most. We now see the world in a different life. We see the many things people take for granted everyday. Stuff that we take for granted everyday. These range from something simple like shower curtains to something more complex like cool phones. Most importantly, we see the gaping holes in people’s lives that they try to fill with “stuff”. The best part is, they are rarely even aware of it. My one friend, for example, was telling me how stupid people are for using smoking and drinking as a crutch. He was telling how they are basically paying people huge amounts of money to become addicted to poisons. How it’s not just that Jesus says we aren’t suppose to be addicted to things, but its just plain stupid to be spending the large amounts of money everyday. Now, here is the thing, my friend HAS to have coffee every morning, usually from Starbucks or somewhere fancy like that. He has filled the same hole he is condemning others for filling. Here is another thing. Americans eat so much more than they need to. The amount of food we eat in one meal could easily last us an entire day. I’m not saying that we should starve ourselves, but we defiantly don’t need to eat as much as we do.
On the abundant life we are promised, we automatically assume that the abundance he is referring to is one that is monetary. While God has interceded with us in that fashion, He has filled us with so much more. For every slice of bread that we take out of that hole of ours, Jesus fills with nuts. Just the other day my supervisor asked me to work Saturday. I told him no. He asked why. I told him because I had a meeting in which I had to love some people. It’s kind of like you get another value system. Where the typical person may see nothing of worth, we see something of great value. Conversely, where they may see something of importance, we see as of little value. Rare is the occasion where Kris pops something in the microwave and we eat dinner in front of the TV. Instead we appreciate both the opportunity to spend time together, and the food that God has blessed us so richly with. In the one situation only our physical hunger is being fulfilled (sometimes not even that if your brain doesn’t register that you ate), in the other situation our physical hunger, our emotional hunger for each other, and our appreciation for God’s creation (the food) are all being fulfilled. Writing this has made me turn and take a look back at the way I use to live my life. I ask how in the world was I ever happy in that? Life is so much richer, healthier, and fulfilling now then it ever has been. I pray that we may continue to follow God’s will and live the way He has called His people too.

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Matthew 25:34-40 (New International Version)

34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'