Our trip to England was great and Jim got a lot done. If you have any doubts, see his post from Sunday.
But, it was much harder than I anticipated. The Tyndale House is an amazing biblical research center and I cannot say enough about the kindness of the people to us. However, since it is a research and office facility combined in the same building as an apartment complex, I had to keep four children quiet in a two-bedroom apartment — not an easy task. And, without a car, when we went out — and we did every day despite England having the rainiest June in recorded history — then we walked. A conservative estimate for our six weeks in England is that the kids and I walked at least 120 miles!
As I reflect on what I learned living in a different culture, the idea of simplicity keeps coming to mind because I was forced to live a simpler lifestyle. What is simplicity of lifestyle? Dictionary.com describes it as “absence of luxury, pretentiousness, ornament, etc.”
Who doesn’t want to live a simple life? We have websites, books and magazines devoted to it. But, the rub comes in that stuff is really helpful. And, after six weeks of not having a lot of stuff, I am really thankful for my stuff.
I am so thankful for my car. Drive-thrus are a genius idea for parents of small children. I have a new apprecation for my spacious house. So grateful to have both a washer and dryer at my disposal. A dishwasher is a beautiful thing. Air conditioning and ceiling fans are amazing inventions. A good mattress makes it much easier to have a restful night of sleep. Toys are really helpful in entertaining children.
For me, the problem arises when helpful conveniences or things become necessities for happiness. Because when possessions equal contentment, there is never enough and stuff just clutters our lives.
In his classic work, Celebration of Disciplines, Richard Foster rightly catergorizes simplicity as a spiritual discipline. He writes,
Simplicity is freedom.
He continues,
Simplicity is the only thing that sufficiently reorients our lives so that possessions can be genuinely enjoyed without destroying us.
How do I reorient my life so that I can geniunely enjoy the blessings that God has given me? But, even more how do I model the proper prespective to my children?
I definately don’t have it all figured out but there are a few things I know. Although I am pretty diligent about giving away things we no longer need, I need to be more critical about what we keep. I also know that we need to rethink presents for birthdays and holidays (for someone very high on the scale when it comes to the love language of giving gifts this one is actually quite hard) so that we are not simply replacing everything that goes out the door, or teaching our children that happiness is equivalent to the number of gifts under the tree.
I am so grateful for six weeks in a different culture and the opportunity to be forced to live more simply. Even though it was challenging, it was good for my soul.
I know there is more that God will show me in the weeks and months ahead. But, I would love to know if there anything you have found to be helpful in this battle against materialism and discontent. After all, if everything can be viewed through the lens of spiritual warfare — I guess this fits too!
All is well,
Lisa