An important distinction to note is this: Simplicity is not asceticism. Whereas asceticism rejects possessions, Simplicity allows them in their proper place. But when our culture elevates possessions to an idolatrous level, Simplicity helps us break the stranglehold possessions have on us. Foster makes the claim that legalistic asceticism & striving after possessions both lead to idolatry. The Bible is against rampant materialism and legalistic asceticism with equal condemnation, but it encourages the way of Simplicity.
Simplicity challenges the way that our culture (and we) conduct our lives. When we begin to practice Simplicity, we must be wary of legalism. There are a lot of ways people can practice Simplicity, but when we elevate a certain way as the only right way of practicing this Discipline, we are in danger of creating an idol.
An Inward Discipline
The Discipline of Simplicity hinges on Matthew 6:25-34, or more specifically, on Matthew 6:33. We are to seek first God's kingdom and God's righteousness. We need to keep God & His kingdom first, because if anything else tries to take first place, that is idolatry.
There are three parts to the Inward Discipline of Simplicity:
1. Everything that we have is a gift from God. Society loves to point out all the things that we deserve, but we forget that we earn, we deserve, the wages of sin, which is death. Every good thing in our lives comes from God. We are dependent on Him for everything. He sustains the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the heat we warm ourselves with. It is due to Him that we are able to go to work, earn a paycheck, and buy groceries. So nothing I own is mine and came from me or my efforts. Everything comes from God and ultimately is God's. Then our question changes from "Do I want to spend my money on this item?" to "Does God want me to invest His money in this item?"
2. God is the owner & caretaker of what He has given us to steward. God can protect everything that we own. Yes, we should use the brains God has given us to take common sense precautions like locking our door when we leave, but it is God who ultimately protects our things. Locks, security cameras, and guns can all be circumvented & if we are trusting these things to protect our other things, we will be anxious about our stuff's security.
3. Everything we have is available to be shared with others. We want to hoard things back for our potential needs, instead of sharing them with our larger community. Why do we do this? Because we fear the future and fear the unknown. Instead of trusting in God to provide for us, we stockpile possessions to ensure our safety and comfort for tomorrow. Again, God gave us brains to use with common sense to guide our actions. But if we trust that God is Lord, Savior, and our Father, then we can trust Him with our future. We can help those in need today and trust that God will move others to help us when we are in need.
An Outward Expression
If we just leave Simplicity as an Inward Discipline, we are not letting God use Simplicity to transform and change us. Simplicity should have a visible impact on how we live our lives. Foster gives a list of ten principles of Outward Simplicity, even though he knows that this list creates a risk of legalism in our lives.
1. Do not buy things for their prestige or status, but rather for their usefulness and practicality. Invest in "timeless," quality pieces, instead of the latest fashion. Wear and use your things until they wear out & need replacing. Learn out to fix and mend instead of throwing out and replacing at the first sign of failure.
2. Get rid of anything and everything that we are addicted to. Addiction is nothing to mess around with. It is an idol we unwilling must bow down to, time and time again. We do have real, legitimate needs, like needing wholesome food, water, and adequate clothing & shelter, but we joke about addictions as we smilingly admit that we cannot live without other things. If we are addicted to something, cancel it, quit it, sell it, give it away, trash it!! If going without something for a day makes you anxious, take a fast from it to break its hold on you! We cannot beat our addictions by mere willpower alone, but we need prayer warriors and the grace of God to vanquish our addictions. An addiction is an unwilling, undisciplined compulsion. Identify it, ask for help, and get rid of it.
3. Give things away habitually. If you find that you are very attached to certain possessions, give them away. This is how life typically goes: "We buy things. We buy containers to hold our things. We buy places to hold our things. We buy more containers to securely store our things." One of the cleaning sites that I use & visit (FlyLady.net), tells us repeatedly, you can't organize clutter. So the best thing to do is to get rid of it.
4. Don't get caught up in the tech-hype-fest. We don't need the latest and greatest if what we have still works just fine. We don't need "time-saving" devices that in reality take time and money to fix and upkeep. Learn to make things yourself or buy good quality, durable things that will last.
5. We can enjoy things without owning them. We don't have to own everything that we use. We can borrow from a friend, check it out from the library, or rent it for a day's use. Society teaches us that we deserve to own what we want to, but we don't have to follow society's lead. We can make use of free museums, parks, and exhibits, without owning things ourselves.
6. Learn to appreciate God's creation. Take the time to walk places and observe what God has made. Notice the details that He has placed in His creation. Take time to truly observe with all your senses (maybe not taste unless you A) are sure that it's not poisonous and B) have taken it home & washed it first).
7. Skip the "Buy Now, Pay Later" propaganda. We can save up for something and buy it later to avoid collecting debt. With how cheaply many things seem to be made, oftentimes we run the risk of paying off something that has already been broken. Debt is a chain that ties us down and prevents us from serving God as fully as we could without debt. Many of us have to work at our jobs to pay all our bills and so if the Spirit nudges us to join that two-week mission trip to Kenya, we can't afford to miss that much work.
8. Speak plainly and honestly. We can lovingly say what we need to others. We don't need extra-flowery or confusing words to clutter up our lives. We should ask God what commitments He would have us say "Yes" to and which ones to turn down.
9. Avoid items which support oppression of any kind. If we are going to buy and use items, we need to make sure that we are buying responsibly. That means that we know the companies that we buy from don't use up & discard land, before they move on to repeat the process. That means that we make sure we are buying things that are ethically produced in a sustainable way. If we visited the companies that made our clothes, would we be satisfied with how their workers were treated or would we be ashamed of their practices? God made mankind in His image. This means that all people have worth and value, regardless of their national identity, gender, and other characteristics.
And lastly,
10. Get rid of (or avoid) anything that distracts us from fully seeking first God's kingdom. We shift our focus from God's kingdom to ours more often than we probably care to admit.
May we live in simplicity as we seek God's kingdom more fully each day.
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