Ah, the simple life...

Several times in the last few weeks I have come across something exhorting us - well, me - to live more simply. Most of this advice has been prompted by the economy, but it seems to me that to be truly worthwhile any advice must be grounded in something less volatile than the Dow Jones. Ben Witherington recently posted a discussion on the economic situation that gets down to fundamentals.

Witherington does not exempt Christians from contributing to our current economic woes, by living beyond our means and opting into the consumer culture (in other words, by being greedy), and he reminds us of several principles that God calls us to live by. It is good reading, and not just for Christians.

It's the first and fourth principles I want to address here. That "the earth is the Lord's and all that is therein" and "the purpose of hard work is to save all we can, so we can also give all we can" are inseparable, I think. If we are good stewards of what God has given to us, then those things are available to help others, in response to God's call for us to love one another. And there have been times recently when the need (and the call) for me to give to someone else was there and I didn't have anything to give. Being a poor steward has very real consequences for the people around us, I realise, but my focus tends to be on the things that my poor stewardship deprives me of.

This idea - that what we think we own is actually God's to be used for his purposes - is hugely challenging to me. It means I have to radically alter how I think about "my stuff" and what I do with it. It means it's not "my" stuff.

Truth is, I like my stuff. And I like more and more of it. Problem is, there's never enough stuff.
I have been blessed in many ways, with family, friends, opportunity, education, a few talents, and, yes, with stuff. And I am thankful for them, I really am. Yet I tend to focus on what I don't have rather than what I do. Which is odd, since I tend to be a glass half-full kind of person about everything else.

I think the issue is really about trust. Maybe I look for more because those tangible things are evidence of security, of my own abilities and capabilities to take care of myself and my family. But I am starting to understand it is a false security. Just look at the economy. Can any of us really count on an employer, when some of the largest companies in the world are laying off thousands, when Chrysler and GM might go out of business? How about investments, or even the future value of money stuffed under the mattress or gold jewellery? How does having stuff help with a problem this big and so far-reaching?

The answer is, it doesn't. The relentless quest for more and more betrays an inner insecurity, when what we need is to trust in God and his provision. My challenge lies in doing that. In my mind - and in my heart - I know that I can trust God with everything, and that in the act of trusting I will have greater peace and a more abundant life (not necessarily materially abundant, however). But still...committing to that...

I feel that I have to explore what it means to trust God and how to trust him. It started this week with the new Bible study I am part of (another confirmation of the call to embark on this journey of discovery came in Wednesday's meeting). So, I will dig into this subject, and share what I learn here on this blog. There will be other posts, of course, but I will return to this theme from time to time.
I hope you will join me.