Learning How to Live Simply

Is it really possible to live simply in a world where less is more, except, of course, when more is more?

The world screams "You CAN Have It All!"  It is your right!  

It tells me that I can be everything I want to be; all the while having everything I want to have.  I can live in a fast-food world and have a runway-worthy body.  I can click on Pinterest and pin decor galore, holiday gifts, and kids' crafts.  I can go to my mailbox and pull out the latest issues of Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping and Martha Stewart Living and have the rooms, the look, the decor displayed on the pages.  

And not just that I can have all these things, that I should have them.  I can live in a world where nothing should be denied; there is no such word as moderation.

If I don't have a cover-worthy living room and a table set for exclusive company, with beautiful china and hand-embroidered linens, then somehow I've failed as a woman...as a wife.  If I'm not doing amazing kids' crafts and creating new and educational activities for my son, then I have failed as a mother.  

In my case, it's not the pursuit of stuff just so I can accumulate or even say that I have such-and-such brand name item.  For me, it's the pursuit of perfection.  I see these images in magazines, t.v., and even billboards and I feel like I just don't measure up; I'm not tall enough, thin enough, fashionable enough and my house certainly isn't "staged" enough.  I see these static images of "real life" and instantly, sometimes even subconsciously, compare it to my own life.  Let's face it, when placed next to professional decorators, home stagers, and editors of lifestyle magazines; I, or my home, will never measure up.  

It's enough to cause anyone to give up all hope. 

I am certain that as long as my gaze is on what the world says, I will continue to feel inadequate.  These are the times when I am thankful that my hope is not based on, or even of, this world.  My hope is in Jesus, and I am so very grateful that His kingdom has a completely different economy than the world I live in.  In the economy of the Father it's not about what I have, it's about what I have been given.  Living simply in our world is nearly impossible.  The only way it can be done is through Jesus.

 It doesn't matter that I have a Coach purse or one found at Wal*Mart or that I have a barista-included cappuccino maker or a $10.00 Black and Decker 12-cup coffee maker; everything I have belongs to Him anyway.  I am simply a steward of God's stuff for as long as He has me here on Earth.  My focus should be on Him; on deepening my relationship with Him and being the person He wants me to be.  Each day is a new chance to learn this lesson.  Thank God He is patient with me and faithful even when I am not!