Does God Want you to Be a Minimalist?

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From the day you were born, you started collecting stuff that will be with you for the rest of your life. Indeed, stuff was already waiting for you in your room before you even came home from the hospital. There were the super practical things, of course, some of which would come and go within hours (like the diapers) and others that would linger for years until you grew out of them. And then there were the completely non-practical items. These were usually adorable and capable of generating an “Awwwww, how cute,” comment in the most high-pitched tone. Some of them were useless, but entirely sentimental icons of your earliest days, and they might still be tucked away in a box in the furthest corners of your attic or basement, no matter how old you are. If keeping some of your childhood memories isn’t your thing, then I am sure something else is. It may be a weakness for clothes, gadgets, knick-knacks, or books. Even artwork, pantry items, tools, office supplies, or small appliances can mound up through the years.

For most people, too much stuff of some kind in their closets, drawers, or garages is making them feel smothered, constricted, overwhelmed, busy, depressed, or frustrated on some level, whether it be occasionally troublesome or incredibly debilitating. We all exist somewhere on the continuum between minimalism and hoarding. But where does God want us to be? Is joining the minimalism movement, led by the likes of Marie Kondo and Clea Shearer, any different from trying out the latest fad diet to shrink our expanding waistlines? We try them out, only to find ourselves struggling again once we inevitably diverge from the plan. I found myself asking these questions and many similar ones over the last several months of packing, moving, and trying to unpack. Notice I used the word “trying” regarding settling into my new home. Just like getting a huge shock when you step on the scale for the first time in five months (yep, I have that problem too!), I have been both surprised and dismayed at how little storage capacity is available in my house. Having too much stuff combined with an impressive lack of storage options has created the perfect storm of clutter, disorganization, and overwhelm in almost every room.

For those of you who know me, the inability to unpack quickly, organize, and enjoy clutter-free tidiness, is driving me crazy. Bonkers. Nuts. Attach any word to it that makes you picture a woman with her hair on fire, and you’ll understand my state of mind. What’s more, I’m one of those writers who can’t even concentrate on crafting a single sentence until my desk area complies to my own very unorthodox version of feng shui. While I recognize that I am clearly displaying inherited OCD tendencies right now, and I probably need to break into a rendition of a saccharine Disney tune like Hakuna Matata or Let It Go, the truth of the matter still needs to be addressed. I must purge. Purge even more now than I did when I packed up everything. But again, questions come to my mind. Do I purge only enough to ease the madness, or should I take it much further and clear out everything but real necessities? And speaking of essentials, how is that really defined in my life? What is truly necessary, versus what makes life a bit more comfortable, versus what is outright indulgence or laziness? Did God lead my husband and I to this home in order to spur me toward adopting a more minimalistic lifestyle, or is being at some other point on the continuum of stewardship acceptable to Him?

Perhaps you’ve also wondered how much stuff God wants His followers to have. And I am not just talking about the stuff that actually costs money. Most of the faith-driven Christian books, blog posts, and sermons surrounding this topic tend to focus only on the stewardship component of this problem. As a result, I think many believers end up feeling justified in hanging onto a lot of stuff through the years as long as they are honoring God with their financial giving through regular tithing and offerings. After all, as far as I know, there’s no verse in the Bible that says you shouldn’t keep your first-grade finger painting masterpiece or that special dress that you wore to your Sweet 16 party (um, that would be me.) Or how about we head into even more sensitive territory? What would the Bible guide us to do with highly useful items that haven’t been used in a decade? What if we will need them again for some unpredictable project or event in the future? If we needed something once, doesn’t it stand to reason that we will need it again? And wouldn’t God want us to tuck it away in the back of the shed or closet instead of spending money on a new one should the need ever arise again? That last example is the toughest one of all, isn’t it? Maybe that expensive tool will come in handy again. Or perhaps the outfit you bought for that black tie wedding ten years ago might come back in style.

While Jesus didn’t talk specifically about things like that, He did make one truth repeatedly clear during His time with the disciples. He asks us to remove anything from our lives that prevents — and that means even slightly hinders — us from fully and completely following Him. Furthermore, He asks us to live without fear or wondering how our needs might be met in the future. Therefore, I believe we can firmly conclude that Jesus wants us to let go of anything that might get in the way of us drawing closer to Him, experiencing His goodness, obeying His direction and calling for our lives, or dwelling in the states of contentment and mental freedom. While this truth has different ramifications for each unique individual, the scriptures that support the idea of living with an unencumbered heart are uncompromising. Beyond that, it’s up to each of us to prayerfully seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance regarding the boundaries needed in our lives. As I have been seeking God’s instruction in my own self-made chaos, here are a few of the Bible verses He’s brought to my attention in recent weeks.

Matthew 5:29 says, “So if your eye — even your good eye —causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” Ouch. Can you even believe I am starting with that verse? I actually tried not to, but the Holy Spirit kept bugging me about it. Here’s why. There is nothing I have in my boxes of stuff, not even my most beloved wedding memorabilia, that is as important as my eyesight. I don’t think any of us would be willing to lose an eye over a possession. And here Jesus is using an extreme example to indicate the kind of extreme love we are to have for God. So even something useful or of the greatest value to us must take second place to serving and loving our Heavenly Father. I love how the verse includes the phrase, “even your good eye,” as if a person would want to give up either eye at all! But yet, that’s how some of us approach sacrificing our stuff in order to follow God. We prioritize it for Him — as if we have the right to do that. We’ll give up that thing, but not the best or the dearest thing. In this way, the Word makes it clear that even valuable, cherished, or useful things sometimes need to be sacrificed for the sake of obedience to — and love for — God. So if God calls you to downsize in order to fulfill your calling, then even something you might — just maybe — need again, probably needs to go. And the next verse offers assurance that if you need it again someday, He’ll provide it when the time comes.

Matthew 6:33-34 is Jesus’ end to all of our arguments about retaining things we don’t need or fretting about needing things we’ve let go of under the guidance of His Spirit. “So above all, constantly chase after the realm of God’s kingdom and the righteousness that proceeds from Him. Then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly. Refuse to worry about tomorrow, but deal with each challenge that comes your way, one day at a time. Tomorrow will take care of itself.” I’m not planning on throwing out my box of wedding memories… at least not right now. There are plenty of other things the Holy Spirit seems to be leading me to let go of first. And what He might be asking you to release may be different now than it will be next year or next decade. And the flip side of that is true as well. You may be tempted to buy something that seems very reasonable right now that God knows will only be a hindrance later. So when the Spirit whispers to you with conviction or direction, it’s far better to obey and trust that your emotional, physical, or financial needs will be taken care of the way He knows is best for us.

In Mark 10:17-31, a prominent rich young man approaches Jesus and asks how he can live forever. When he explains that he has followed all the commandments and lived in obedience to God, verses 21-22 recount Jesus’ reply. “Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. ‘There is still one thing you haven’t done,’ He told him. ‘Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’” While this story in the Gospels is often used to illustrate our willingness to surrender financial assets, the implication is far more comprehensive. Jesus wanted the young man’s whole heart, and He could see that this prominent and accomplished guy was far more in love with his belongings and his stature than he was with God. When our accumulation of stuff encroaches on any aspect of our ability to love and serve God, then we are like the wealthy young man. Our hearts are clinging to our memories, treasures, gadgets, and clothes more than Him. So if I have so much stuff I can’t create a small, non-distracting space in my house to be alone with Jesus in prayer, read the Word, and worship Him, then something’s gotta go. If I own too many “toys” and their maintenance or use prevents me from serving others, then something’s gotta go. Jesus makes it that clear. That simple.

The apostle Paul said it this way in Hebrews 12:1-2: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” We don’t like to think of our stuff as sin. It makes us feel shameful. And shame causes us to feel defeated. It makes us feel like not bothering to try. And that’s right where Satan wants us. Shame makes us ineffective for Jesus. Yes, having a bunch of stuff can chain us down and keeps us from being free to go wherever and do whatever God asks us to do. But having shame over our stuff increases the weight upon our shoulders to an unbearable level. And Satan simply loves that. Not only are we weighed down, but we are also unmotivated and bewildered. But as Paul says, Jesus ran the race to demolish our strongholds of sin and shame. So no matter how much stuff I have or any stigma associated with it was buried with Christ, enabling me to run free in His strength and power. That’s how God sees me. Through the power of the cross. And that’s how He sees you too. All He asks is that we surrender our hearts, which means that He has the freedom to clear them out when necessary. Just like our houses, we have a tendency to fill up the rooms of our heart with things that don’t belong there. And everything in our houses first appeared as a desire in our hearts. Nothing shows up in our physical world until we’ve first acquired it in our hearts and minds.

A huge pile of stuff in my bedroom is about to be loaded into bags for donation. Some of the items have been in my closet for more than a decade. Some of the items are fairly new but should’ve never been purchased in the first place. For many different reasons, all of them were taking up space in my heart that wasn’t intended for them. I don’t know what else the Holy Spirit will bring to my attention for elimination in the days and weeks ahead, nor could I ever tell you what things in your life might need to go. But this I do know beyond a shadow of a doubt: with each step of surrender and obedience, Jesus is waiting to usher both of us into a greater depth of love and willingness to serve than we’ve ever known before.

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Five-Day Devotional Guide for Further Reflection and Daily Spiritual Journaling
The questions and readings below can be used for a single-day study or your daily quiet time throughout the week. Before you begin reading the passage for each day, spend some time asking God to open your heart to His truth and hearing His voice.
Day 1 - Read Matthew 6:25-34 in at least 3 different versions of the Bible. Spend time in prayer asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to you anything (physical, emotional, societal) that you are hanging onto or long to have that might be creating a byproduct of worry, fear, or greed in your life. Write down anything He brings to your mind and commit to seeking God’s forgiveness and direction in those areas.
Day 2 - Go back to the list you made yesterday and spend time in prayer. Read 1 Timothy 6:6–8 and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what areas of discontentment exist in your life.
Day 3 - Sometimes contentment has nothing to do with material possessions or physical comfort, but rather our emotional or societal desires. We might be bitter over a lost relationship, promotion at work, or a wrong that someone committed against us. Even our state of health can tempt us to long for what we don’t have. Read Philippians 4:10-13 and ask God to reveal any emotions or longings in your heart that are leading to discontentment or mistrust of Him.
Day 4 - When life doesn’t seem fair, we might resort to unconsciously accumulating things or pursuing activities for the wrong reasons. The things or activities themselves may not be sinful, but if they are not God’s best for us, then He wants eliminate the root causes of those errant desires within us. Read Psalm 139:-23-24 and pray it back to God.
Day 5 - Read 1 Chronicles 29:11. Spend time today celebrating all the good things in your life that God has blessed you with, including your special memories, possessions, and most valuable relationships. Give God all the honor and glory for each one. Write down a few for future encouragement.

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