Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status. Cars should be bought for their utility, not their prestige. A home should be chosen for its livability rather than how much it will impress others. Stop trying to impress people with your clothes and impress them with your life.
Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you. Learn to distinguish between a real psychological need, such as cheerful surroundings, and an addiction--something you cannot do without, such as television, coffee, newspapers, or chocolate. If money has a grip on your heart, give some away and feel the inner release. Simplicity is freedom, not slavery. Refuse to be a slave to anything but God.
Develop a habit of giving things away. De-accumulate. Masses of things that are not needed complicate life. They must be sorted and stored and dusted and resorted and restored ad nauseam. Most of us could get rid of half our possessions without any serious sacrifice.
Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry. Timesaving devices almost never save time. Most gadgets are built to break down and wear out and so complicate our lives rather than enhance them. Propagandists try to convince us that because the newest model of this or that has a new feature (trinket?) we must sell the old one and buy the new one. Such media dogma needs to be carefully scrutinized. Often "new" features are only a way of inducing us to buy what we do not need.
Learn to enjoy things without owning them. Many things in life can be enjoyed without possessing or controlling them. Share things. Enjoy the beach without feeling you have to buy a piece of it. Enjoy public parks and libraries.
Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation. Walk whenever you can. Listen to the birds. Marvel in the rich colors everywhere. Simplicity means to discover once again that "the earth is the Lord's, and everything in it" (Ps. 24:1).
Look with a healthy skepticism at all "buy now, pay later" schemes. They are a trap and serve to deepen your bondage. In biblical times, charging interest (not just exorbitant interest, but any interest) was viewed as unbrotherly exploitation of another's misfortune, hence a denial of Christian community. Jesus admonished His disciples to "lend . . . without expecting to get anything back" (Lk. 6:35). These words of Scripture should not be construed into some kind of universal law obligatory upon all cultures at all times. But neither should they be thought of as totally irrelevant to modern society. Behind such biblical injunctions stand centuries of accumulated wisdom. Certainly prudence as well as simplicity would demand that we use extreme caution before incurring debt.
Obey Jesus' instructions about plain, honest speech (Mt. 5:37). Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Make honesty and integrity the distinguishing characteristics of your speech. A lack of simplicity in one area, such as speech, can undermine simplicity in another area.
Reject anything that will breed the oppression of others. This is one of the most difficult and sensitive issues for today's Christians to face, but face it we must. Do we sip our coffee and eat our bananas at the expense of exploiting Latin American peasants? In a world of limited resources, does our lust for wealth mean the poverty of others?
Shun whatever would distract you from your main goal. God give us the courage, wisdom, and strength always to hold as the number one priority of our lives to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. To do so is to live in simplicity.
Adapted from Celebration of Discipline. © 1978 by Richard J. Foster. Published by Harper & Row Publishers, Inc.
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