Living at World Hunger Relief, we think a lot about living simply just like we did when we were in Uganda. (For one thing, we use composting toilets so our waste doesn't leave the farm!) Anyway, World Hunger Relief exists to help alleviate world hunger in three main ways: through training people like us, through motivating people in the US to think about the sustainability of the way they live, and through partnering with groups around the world who work to end hunger.
So something I have been thinking about recently related to the sustainability of the way I live and simplicity is that it is hard to say no to free stuff.
We all experience times when we are offered something for free, whether it is free samples of food at the grocery store or free notepads and hats at conferences. Often, when we are offered such things, even if we don't need them, it's free, so we take it. This can lead to cluttering up our house with stuff we don't need. Or if it takes the form of free food you don't necessarily want or like, but you feel obligated to take and eat it, since it is free. Then, you might even end up eating too much. In college, I remember how I was never willing to turn down a free cookie or chip clip or pen because even if I wasn't hungry or if I had 20 more pens at home, maybe I would need it later! (Okay, maybe I still might fall into that mentality...)
Anyway, all this led me to think about mistakes missionaries and short-term mission trips can make with handing out free stuff. It isn't always bad to give to others, but we need to realize that if it is hard for us rich people to say no to free stuff when we already have more than we need, then surely it must also be hard for people who are materially poor to say no even if it is something that doesn't meet their needs at all.
Also, it seems that we often value things we paid for more than we value items which we have been given for free. Anthony has found some websites that offer free music and so he has ended up with more music than he could ever listen to. Now, when he is deleting excess songs, he finds that it is easier to get rid of a free song than to delete a song he paid 99 cents for even if the one he paid for has lyrics he's not comfortable listening to. I know we've talked about this before, but as an example, when it comes to handing out Bibles to people who don't have them, it is worth considering whether it might not be more valuable to someone if they have to work for/buy it than if the Bibles are being handed out for free all over the place.
So then, this is a difficult subject. Material possessions are not all bad, but they can own us. And they can be destructive in interactions with the materially poor. Therefore, I have a challenge for all of us who already have too much stuff and still struggle with saying no to more. Here is my roundabout way of getting to that challenge: When people travel on mission trips from the US to poorer countries, it seems that one of the biggest things that we take away is that "the people there are so joyful in their relationship with God and they hardly own anything!" And then we go back to the US or Canada and think that the application for what we just learned is to be thankful for all the stuff we do possess. For certain, it is good to appreciate what we have as a gift from God, but maybe a further application would be to also reduce the amount of stuff we have. Maybe, like the materially poor, we would depend more on God and have a greater appreciation of his provision for us if we didn't have as many possessions to distract us. Let us take a good look at what we own and consider what kind of hold it might have on us. Are our possessions keeping us from joy in the Lord or do they make us think that we are completely self-sufficient? What are we willing to give up in order to be closer to God?
I think this is a profound reflection and one that Laura and I struggle with. As we prepare to go to Bolivia, we have sought to live simply. But should it be because we are going to a poor country that we have this passion right now?
ReplyDeleteI have to ask myself this question, would I be just as passionate? Because these passions that I have for living simple some times turn off friends when I share with them.
Should the rest of the body of Christ be just as passionate about living simple as our families? And how do we talk about this without hating and judging our brothers and sisters here in the states who are very well off? Maybe our possessions are keeping us away from knowing God deeper and finding ultimate joy in Him. I don't have answers.
Thank you for your reflection and I will continue to dwell on these questions.
Thank you for this very thought provoking and timely blog. One which I struggle with more and more as we get older and able to buy more than we ever could but do not need it. So purchases of stuff always cause me to reflect on why would I do so simply because I can? And more and more we find ourselves content with what we have and not a real desire for more. Its a first step for us (we should also get rid of some stuff!)
ReplyDeleteIts far more fun thinking of good things we can do with our resources - endless opportunities.
Here's another thought: what about gifts that people give you? We have lots of guests and generous friends who are always bringing gifts, especially for our kids. I routinely get rid of stuff (take it to the local community center thrift store), and have become okay with getting rid of gifts, but they keep coming, and there are a lot of times when I feel bad about giving away something that someone else gave us in love...especially if I know they, [A] might see it at the thrift store and recognize it, [B] visit us regularly and might wonder why our kids never play with the toy they gave us, or [C] don't have a lot of money and spent their money/time to give/make us something that I know we'll never use.
ReplyDeleteWe try to live relatively simply, and I'm forever trying to live more simply and get rid of things that we don't use, need, or are redundant. But the things seem to multiply faster than we can get rid of them. It doesn't help that I'm rather a toy snob and find that the few things I have bought for the kids are the ones that I generally want to keep (I like a few good quality mostly wood toys that I know will last through our grandchildren; I really don't like cheap plastic toys, especially when they make noise). I try to put time and thought into the few things that I buy, toys or otherwise, so that they're good quality, safe, made responsibly (I'm getting better about this one), and are more open-ended. Then again, maybe this goes back to treasuring things I've spent my own money on more than things that were free.
And then there's a whole 'nother issue: a woman from our church has recently felt convicted to start a monthly give-away, from our church to anyone in the [very poor] community where our church is. Speaking as a former missionary and community development worker, I have a hard time with this. Her reasoning is that we are commanded to give to those in need, that it will bring people into the church who otherwise wouldn't come in, there is real need in our community, it is an expression of our love, and that it is between a person and God where he or she takes advantage of the gift. These are all good things, but I still don't know what to do and just feel it's not quite right in many ways.
Let me start by saying that there are many different ways to examine cultural norms. To say that someone here does things this way and therefore it should be the same over there may create unnecessary difficulties. More specifically on the topic of "excess stuff," I will offer that we could view societies on two axis (grossly overly simply, but bear with me): how do we spend our money, and how do we spend our time. In the west (aka US), we tend to have excess money but are regularly lean on time. Accordingly, we spend our money to save time. Our "stuff" is often obtained to enhance our convenience. Acknowledging that there are those in our culture who have adopted "stuff" as their god. The alternative, practiced in much of the rest of the world, is to spend time in order to save money. This is one way to think of "simplifying" our lives. Please keep in mind that I don't see either of these paradigms as intrinsically good or bad. Christ changes lives within the context of all societies. A key is to have “right thinking” about the relative importance of any of these items compared to the Lordship of Jesus.
ReplyDeleteIn the west, I think we place a much higher value on our time than our stuff and accordingly we may need to be more cognizant of how we spend time to God's glory. As such, I am not always all that concerned about de-cluttering of things. I don't find that they tempt my loyalty the same way that commitments of my time would. I may also propose that a disconnect occurs when we apply our cultural standards to other societies, particularly non-western ones. Again, grossly oversimplified, but the point is that to present Christ in the way people can most clearly see Him, we need to be able to conform our lifestyle to one that they can recognize and appreciate. John Perkins writes rather eloquently on this topic. Just as God has called you to Uganda and this will necessitate a change in your approach to "stuff;" someone else is called to minister in the boardroom - which may require a very different type of cultural approach.
Just some thoughts for your consideration.
Thank you all for your thoughtful comments! This is a challenging issue to think about and clearly one that many of us struggle with. I appreciate your willingness to share your ideas and questions. I hope that we can come to better understandings of how to live our lives for God's glory as we continue to seek his guidance and think through these kinds of issues together.
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