Have you taken a good look at your closet lately? Maybe your style is neat, tidy, and simple, but for the majority of us, it’s a disaster zone. This doesn't mean it’s a literal pigsty, but it might indicate an overcrowded space. The majority of us buy into the world’s idea of a full closet. We believe if we earn the paycheck we earn the little presents the come along with it – shopping trips!
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a little reward every once in a while, but when our focus becomes so centered on the stuff we accumulate the material mind gets a hold of us – and this takes over not just our closet, but our whole life. In Matthew 6:19 it says, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
With our closets, homes, and lives stuffed to a brim, it’s hard to focus on things that aren't materialistic. Instead of getting up ready and attentive for our morning devotions, we are busy trying to find that perfect shirt for work, or instead of praying before our breakfast, we are shoveling food down our throat as we drive to work, already thinking about what we will do this weekend. These may be extreme examples, but they might be a little more accurate than we’d like to admit. When our lives are so full of stuff, we tend to put the unseen on the back burner.
But God doesn't leave us stranded in this material world. He continues in Matthew 6: 20-21 to say, But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. God reminds us that the treasures of His kingdom are far greater than what we can fill our closets with. While the devil is whispering in one ear where the next clothing sales are, God is calling us to himself and reminding us that in His kingdom we will have far greater riches – riches that will not get dusty, holes in them, stains on them, or become too small.
What can you do to simplify your life, home, or closet? What can you do to transition from a material mind to a life focused on unearthly treasures?
I am challenging your girls to take part in a clothing challenge: to wear only 15 items of clothing for the whole month. The only exceptions to this challenge are pajamas, undergarments, bathing suits, and shoes. The whole concept is not only to simplify but to see and experience what a Zambian girl, who doesn't have a closet full of clothes to choose from (let alone 15 items), goes through every day. To prepare for this challenge, the GEMS staff is taking part in this. We have each chosen 15 items of clothing to wear for the month. Yes, this definitely alters our mindsets as we have camping trips, weddings, vacations, work, and other events that require special clothing. But we have taken the challenge.
I want to invite you to either join us, or come up with your own simplification strategy.. What can you cut out to live a simpler, more God focused, kingdom-driven life?
