The Beginning of My Journey With Minimalism

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."-Matthew 6:19-21 ESV

I am not sure when my minimalism journey really started, but I became acquainted with the term "minimalism" sometime between winter 2012 and early 2013, due to stumbling across Joshua Becker's blog, Becoming Minimalist.  Since then, my life and my vision for stuff has changed.

Traveling lightly has always appealed to me, but things have never really ended up that way, until now.  I would always pack more than necessary, "just in case."  Leaving my house always felt lighter, even if I had too much stuff.  Visiting my parents when I was single, or working at a summer camp, my car was always loaded down with stuff, but even then being away from home, and all the stuff there to take care of, still felt better.

After I got married, my husband and I accumulated a lot of stuff.  We combined our stuff.  Things were given to us.  We inherited stuff from family.  Right before the birth of our 1st child, we had enough stuff to fill a two bedroom apartment, and an approximately 10 x 8 storage building.  We continuously gave stuff away, but still kept acquiring more stuff.

There is more story in between, and maybe I will share later, but fast forward to 2012.  We were having financial issues, which I am assuming catapulted us into minimalism.  We had put our house up for sale, but it was not going well.  No buyers.  So, were making a house payment on a home we were not living in.  Ugh.  We started having to scrutinize every dollar.

Sometime around that time or early 2013, I found Joshua Becker's blog on minimalism.  It was amazing.  I started changing the way I looked at our stuff, and our money.  Things that were once so important, now, not so much.  I began to make a shift in my perspective on the accumulation of stuff, wealth, and purpose.  I started becoming freed from the need to "store up riches on earth."  

We had always given away stuff, but now we were giving away more.  And, we stopped buying things that were unnecessary.  We began thinking about every purchase.  We stopped accumulating.  Life was becoming more simple.

Now, my life is different.  I see a lot more possibilities.  I don't have so much stuff to take care of, and can focus on the important details of life with my family, and the service God has called us to.  I am not bound in my thinking.  I know that we have not arrived, but we have come so far.

If you are wondering what minimalism is at this point, the definition that works for me is "simplicity," and "getting rid of the unnecessary to make room for the important."

What do you know about minimalism?  How has it changed you?

The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado

"And the candle disappoints people?" 
 "How can it not?  One candle.  A village of needs.  God would not single out one person and ignore others. It's not fair." 
 Emily replied with measured words.  "Perhaps he singles out one person to show the others what he can do."

Ahhh....what a lovely book.  I started reading Christmas literature very early this year.  My first encounter with this novella was an audio book from the library.  When I started listening to the audio, it made me want to read the book.  Providentially, it was one of my choices at Booksneeze.

Set in the late 1800's in a fictional town in England, the novella The Christmas Candle takes us back to childhood.  At least, that is what it did for me anyway.  Every year at Christmas, people are seeking, "The Christmas Spirit."  In reading this book, then seeing the movie, and pondering on both for a while, I have come to believe in the heart of every person is the desire to remember the presence of God in the birth of Christ that we experienced as children.  That is why we continue to seek after the Christmas Spirit even into adulthood.  This book did this for me.  It took me back to simplicity and miracles and faith and hope.

The Christmas Candle is the story of a town and its people who are in need of some faith, hope, and miracles.  Beginning in 1664, and starting with the candle maker and his family, God begins to minister that hope to all.  During the time of Advent, leading up to Christ's birth, an angel visits the candle maker and touches one of the candles he has made.  While at a church service, the candle maker and his wife encounter a woman in need.  The candle maker's wife gives the candle to the woman and tells her to "light it and pray."  She does and at the Christmas Eve service announces the amazing blessing she received.  Thus begins a cycle of the angel returning every 25 years and the candle maker and his family passing along the candle each year at Advent.

The story picks up in 1864 with the arrival of David Richmond, a young minister who is in need of some faith, hope, and miracles for himself.  Through a series of events, God teaches David and the town about His presence and prayer, and that He is still ever ready and available to meet our needs.

I almost didn't read this book because it seemed odd to me and not very scriptural that an angel would touch a candle and miracles would take place.  Thankfully, I was reminded of this scripture:

For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool, and trouble the water:  whosoever then first after the troubling of the stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.  

Now, that is not normally the way God heals people, and I believe it was contrasted against the ministry of Jesus in the Bible for a reason.  Nevertheless, God is still in the business of healing people and answering prayer, as the reader will find out in the story.

I truly enjoyed this book, so much so that I couldn't wait to see the movie; so much so that I don't want to forget it.  It serves as a reminder that He hears and answers when we pray.

I recommend this book to everyone.  It will serve as a reminder of what your soul longs and aches for at Christmas.

Much love and blessings.  Merry Christmas!

Beth

Disclosure Statement:  I received this e-book free from Booksneeze as part of their  free books for bloggers program.  I was not required to give a favorable review.  The thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.