“…When it came to explain the purpose of the garage the Africans were incredulous, “You have a house for your car??? Many in our area have no houses at all!…”
People dive into the world of simplicity for many reasons and mean many different things by it. So here’s a little of what it means for me and my family.
How does simple living relate to your Christian faith?
- Simplicity is a means of identifying ourselves with our sisters and brothers around the world. (A story told to me by a college student returning from a short-term mission to Africa probably explains it best. In talking with the people where they were serving and building homes the Americans were telling about what their own homes were like. When it came to explain the purpose of the garage the Africans were incredulous, “You have a house for your car??? Many in our area have no houses at all!”)
- Simplicity it a way to live lightly on the earth.
- Simplicity is usually a slower-paced way of living day-to-day.
- Simplicity can usually allow you to live with less expense and therefore opens up many choices you might not otherwise have (such as living on a single income.)
- Simplicity allows you to have more to share with others, either of time or money.
I grew up in the United States and the story society gave me to live out was one of individuality, personal identity, personal acheivement, and accumulation of wealth. More, more, more seems to be the eternal goal.
The story our family buys into is the one shared in the gospels. Community, hospitality, sharing of wealth, sharing of our lives, sharing of our selves. We have no set blueprint of what this looks like, but I will share some of our successes and failures as we try to live it out.
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