Less for the Sake of More

If you were to visit our home, you may be surprised by the way our family lives.

It seems that every time I turn around, I see people around me who are just starting their careers and/or families and are already moving into their "dream home" - a home that my accomplished, hard-working, middle-class parents could only dream of in their retirement years. It seems that our Western culture screams, "You need bigger and newer, and you need it NOW."  It is never fair to judge a book by it's cover; likewise, it's impossible to judge someone's "success" by the cars they drive and the home they live in. While you may live next door to a modest millionaire and never suspect it, you also may live next door to a mini-mansion with a 3 car garage filled with luxury SUVs that is all underwritten by crippling debt. 

People who know our family well are likely not thrown off by our very modest (at least in terms of dual-pharmacist income) home.  But for those who have visited for the first time, not knowing what to expect, I can sense the surprise on their faces that our little 3 bedroom home in a 1980s cul-de-sac catches them off guard...and maybe even puts them at ease. They comment how "special" it is that our three girls share bedrooms... and a single closet... and a single dresser.  Our backyard lacks a giant castle-like swing-set and fancy outdoor toys; instead, we have raised bed gardens overflowing with ripe blackberry vines winding through a trellis and a tree swing beneath our giant oak tree. Most days, our home isn't littered with a ton of toys (though, like any toddler-filled house, they definitely leave a trail ; )  Our kitchen has all open cabinets with neatly stacked dishes, a handful of cookbooks, and rows of arranged glass jars filled with spices - and what you see is what we have. There is no hidden storage overrun with a bunch of "extra extras."

Even though we have chosen this lifestyle of simplicity, in a recent season of my life I kept looking for "more..." More house, more land, more things. I texted my husband at least weekly with links to much larger houses on the market that we just absolutely needed to go see. I lamented the fact that everyone around me seemed to be undertaking a major home remodel, while we have been slowly updating our home, one light fixture at a time. I questioned whether our kids had enough "stuff" to play with.  I was even hesitant to host gatherings at our house, especially for people who seemed to have "all the things."

Then, God began working on my heart in the way that He does so well... gently and slowly, opening my mind to the freedom that comes when I look at everything I have through eyes of gratitude. Gradually, I started noticing the little things...the way our girls giggle in the morning as they awake in the same bedroom. The way I am able to put away three kids' worth of clean laundry in record time, since it all lives in a single dresser and a single closet. The way I can easily overhear sweet conversations (or mischievous antics) between our toddlers, two rooms away. The way they join their daddy in the garden every afternoon, harvesting that day's fruit.  The way we don't owe a penny on the two used SUVs sitting in our driveway.  The way we are always together in our home as a family, since we fully use every square inch of our space.  I could go on and on with the things God has been highlighting to me, but the underlying theme is the same --- when I choose to be grateful for what I have, I stop longing for other things...because the things I have are more than enough!

  

I have been reminded why we have chosen a lifestyle of simplicity and freedom - we've found that having less actually leads to a life of more.  We desire to have freedom from debt, freedom to give generously, and freedom from being owned by our "stuff." While we have big dreams of having a peaceful retreat in the country someday, where we can host large gatherings and serve as a refuge for people who need a place to get away... we know that God will show us when that time is right. For now, He has called us to be good stewards of our resources, living simply, and investing in experiences and people instead of things.

So come on over, anytime... come sit a while on our back porch and tell us of memories that make you come alive, catch a breeze in our swing under the big oak tree, or pick all the blackberries and oregano your hands can hold.  This is the "good stuff" in life that we want to embrace more of.

What could you simplify in your life, so that you could live more abundantly? We are all on this journey together, and sometimes we just need to be reminded that "having it all" isn't exactly what it seems. Sometimes less is truly more.

Living simply and fully,

L


{Photography by my incredibly talented brother-in-law, Gib Park Photography}