What God Says About Minimalism

Through my journey in minimalism, I've found that it's something I can implement in my personal relationship with God. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Does God really care about that third pair of shoes? No, probably not. But He does care about what I'm dedicating to Him.

"But first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." - Matthew 6:33

With minimalism, you don't have all the distracting physical stuff and you don't overcommit yourself. With a clear mind and a clear schedule you can commit that time to God, whether it's praying to Him, reading a chapter of the Bible, or listening to Christian music and reflecting on it. And that time spent with Him can give you so much more fulfillment than any earthly thing can.

Jesus himself preached a form of "minimalism" to his disciples. He told them to drop everything and follow Him, and Peter brings it up in Luke,

"Then Peter said in reply, 'See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?' Jesus said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.'" - Luke 19:27-30

Although this context is a little different (I'm not telling you that to be a true minimalist you have to leave all of your family behind), the matter stays the same. It's amazing how quickly one can forget that their worth and their status doesn't come from how big their house is or how much money they make at work, but from God alone. Don't let your possessions define you. My favorite people are those who are sincerely kind and interested in getting to know me. They're the ones that people look at and don't even question where they came from or where they ended up, whether they went to a private school or the local community college. And that's where I'd like minimalism to lead my life - to stop wasting my time worrying about what other people think and instead spend it creating personal relationships and maybe, just maybe, spark a spiritual conversation. And if simplifying my life to make time to do that is what I've been called to do, then so be it.

"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ." - Philippians 3:8

Do you have any questions? Praise? Advice? I'd love to see your comment below! ↡