The simple life...

“When someone steals a man’s clothes we call him a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry man; the coat hanging unused in your closet belongs to the man who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the man who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.”
Basil the Great (Bishop of Caesarea, 365)

Lately I have been thinking about this a lot. I desire a simpler life...one in which I spend less time thinking about myself and more of others. One in which I recognize just how much I have, and thinking in terms of what I need, rather than want.

This summer I will spend some time in Costa Rica, not as much as usual, but some time. The rest of my summer, I prayerfully have decided that I will not necessarily pursue full-time work, but rather rest and take work as it comes. I will trust that God will provide...



Right now, about every other day, I have a mild panic attack about this. I start to think, "how on earth can this happen? Will I make enough money to survive? What if I overspend and end up with no money by the end of the summer?" And then...I remember that God is teaching me. He is my Provider.

I have been thinking on Proverbs 30...

"O God, I beg two favours from you before I die. First, help me never tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God's holy name."

Give me just enough to satisfy my needs...

Could you imagine if North America lived this way? What would our economy look like today? What would the rest of the world look like?

While the nation of Israel wandered in the desert, God provided daily for their food...manna from heaven. And yet, some doubted that He would continue to provide and so tried stockpiling their bread. And what happened? The maggots came and destroyed the stockpiles.



Perhaps that is what we are facing today in the North American economy. We've been greedy and tried stockpiling...and now we face the infestation of maggots. Should we be so shocked that this isn't working?

We talk of helping people around the world...which is wonderful. However, we tend to think of helping them so that they can "live like we do." The truth is, WE can't even live like WE do...it doesn't work...it's not sustainable. Greed is not sustainable. Ghandi said it: "there is enough for everyone's need but not enough for everyone's greed".

May I learn how to live selflessly.