About three weeks ago, I did something I’ve never done before…I rented a dumpster. Yes. A dumpster. It wasn’t a small one either. Why did I do such a thing? Stuff. Lots of stuff. It is mind boggling to think of the amount of things we had accumulated over the years. Becky was a bargain hunter and coupon clipper. It was quite impressive to watch her in action, especially when our boys were still children. She had books of coupons that she had meticulously cut out, all sorted into categories. She knew when the weekly grocery ads would come out and she would combine those sales with coupons and walk out of the store having paid $200 for $400 worth of groceries. She believed in stocking up, which meant she never bought just one of any item. We had four growing boys and a limited budget. Even though the process was time-consuming, at the end of the month I appreciated her diligence.
Becky grew up in a large family of eight children. Her mother was a homemaker and her dad worked on the docks at the Port of Houston as a longshoreman. They were precious, godly people and raised their children in a home full of love. They definitely lived on a tight budget. Nothing was wasted and if something could be used again, it was put away somewhere in case you needed it again. Becky picked up most of her homemaking talents from her mother. As young as eight years old, she was already helping her mother cook and bake in the kitchen. It was her favorite place to be.
The boys and I were always amazed at her cooking skills and we definitely benefited from it in more ways than one! Becky’s talent for finding bargains carried on even after all of the boys became adults and moved out on their own. For some reason, she still saw the need to stock up on items, even though we didn’t need half as much. I would ask her why and she would say, “maybe one of the kids or somebody else will need some”. But the stuff just kept piling up. Thankfully our house didn’t look like some of the hoarders I’ve seen on the TV shows. Well, except for the closets, pantries, cabinets, garage, and attic, not to mention a little more clutter than I would have liked, but at least we could walk through the living room.
At the beginning of the new year, I knew I had to start downsizing. I got rid of things I knew I didn’t need, which turned out to be quite a bit, and I kept a few things like family pictures and items that I knew she would want to pass along to the kids. I had a reassurance in my heart that, from Becky’s new heavenly vantage point, she was cheering me on in this endeavor.
First, along with this sense of knowing I had, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to me, “you can’t take all of this where you’re going”. I knew He wasn’t telling me that I was about to die and go to heaven, but instead, He was leading me into a greater awareness of heaven on earth, a deeper life in the Spirit that couldn’t proceed any further without letting go of a lot of “stuff” that would weigh me down or distract me in my journey.
Second, He reminded me of this passage of scripture:
“For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4 NASB)
Simplicity just seemed to jump off of the page and scream at me. When that happens I know that God is putting a major emphasis on something for my benefit. If you study the word simplicity, you’ll find that the word is haplotes in the original Greek. It simply means “singleness”, no pun intended, given my current state. It is a singleness of focus and purpose. I was beginning to see what He meant by, “you can’t take all of this where you’re going”. He wasn’t primarily talking about going to a physical place, but rather a place of union with Him where stuff doesn’t really mean that much and too much of it would weigh me down. It’s laying aside every weight (Hebrews 12:1). The more I realize that He is everything to me, the less I need of every other thing.
“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4)
One of the first things I did was clear some things out of my bedroom. Becky had a lot of clothes and shoes, which is nothing unusual for a woman. Sorry ladies, I’m not trying to stereotype, but I have talked to some of my male peers who have verified this. Did I say she had a lot of shoes? After clearing her clothes and shoes out, I donated all of them to a resale shop that benefits our county women’s shelter. Becky always had a heart for women who were down and out or had been battered, and had helped several of them over the years. I have wanted to have my own little study/prayer place in the house, but we never had the free space. Now I did. I got a small desk that someone was throwing out and I put it in my room. I bought a small rug because I like to lay on the floor sometimes when I’m praying or just soaking in the presence of God. I set it all up and that first evening I put on some instrumental soaking music and just layed on the floor.
Almost immediately I felt the heavy weight of His glory settle down on me like a warm, weighted blanket. I cried like a baby. I could feel His pleasure, His smile. It was like a fresh baptism in the fiery love of Jesus. I caught a glimpse of those eyes of fire that John the Apostle saw while caught up in the Spirit on the Isle of Patmos. Oh how He loves us! This is why I’m simplifying my life, This is why I want to lay aside every weight. I have somewhere to go. I’m not exactly sure where that is, but I know that I’ll be traveling with Him and that’s all that really matters to me. You can call me a minimalist, which is probably true now, but all I really want to do is just follow Jesus and I can’t wait to see where we’ll go!
Simply following Him,
Kevin
