I have always gained a bizarre sense of pleasure by getting rid of things. Twice a year, usually during the winter break and summer break from homeschooling, I get this urge to deep clean my house and get rid of unused possessions. The bigger the pile of discard items, the greater my satisfaction. I know… I’m strange sometimes.
Not all that long ago, I was about to do one of these house purges, but I was feeling really extreme about it. I gave my kids two weeks off for winter break and I tore into my house. I attacked only one room at a time, but each room got a thorough work over. I got rid of every item that I felt was excessive or that was barely used. I scoured every inch of the room for a deep clean before moving on to the next room.
After 10 days, I was wiped out. I can’t remember the last time I felt that physically and mentally exhausted. I was cranky with my family and mealtimes were pathetic because my attention was elsewhere. And after breathing all that loosened dust and fuzz, I was stuffy and felt terrible! I donated five van loads of stuff to my local food bank! That doesn’t even include the stuff that I shoved in the trash. I was appalled.
It was during this grueling process that I stumbled upon a website about minimalism and owning less stuff. I was intrigued. Before I knew it, I was combing through websites and books on minimalism. I realized that I was a minimalist at heart.
But my approach to minimalism seemed to not fit the mold of other self-proclaimed minimalists. I had no interest in counting how many possessions I owned, nor did I want to live in a bare or sterile home. In fact, my ideas about minimalism spread beyond just material possessions.
You will find that From the Home Base has a slightly different angle on the concept of minimalism than you will find on most minimalist websites. For most minimalists, their decision to own few possessions and commit to fewer obligations is motivated by the desire to free up their money and to become more mobile in order to go where they want, when they want, and enjoy experiences rather than things.
Although these are great pursuits, my motivation is a desire to honor Yahweh and to focus on the things that are important to His heart.
Follow me on this journey to minimize:
… pesticides, hormones, toxins, and processed ingredients in our daily diets by eating organic, made-from-scratch foods. Let’s honor Yahweh with our bodies and eat the clean foods He designed for man to eat.
… possessions so they do not possess us. This frees us to use our money to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and take the gospel to those who have been forgotten. Generosity to help the destitute carries a greater reward than heavy consumerism.
… busyness, because busyness does not mean that we are doing important things. How sad it is to be too busy to feed our families a nutritious meal, to be there for a friend who is hurting or in need, to reach out to the destitute, to enjoy a quiet night at home with family. Some activities and obligations have no real importance or value. Saying “no” is okay and beneficial.
… our focus on “ME”, along with minimizing the attention we draw to ourselves, but to bring attention and focus to Yahweh in what we say and do.
It all comes down to these powerful words from Scripture: “He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30)
