Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.
This week, we hear from The Christian Housewife. She’s a mom of five who recently started shedding her stuff, and is finding that the rewards of minimalism go deeper than just a clean home. Read more on her blog.
The Christian Housewife writes:
Who am I? I’m just your typical mom. A mom with 5 kids and too much stuff. We have too many clothes, too many toys, too many things to take care of. About a year ago I mentioned on my blog www.thechristianhousewife.com how I kept reading about people purging their lives of all the unnecessary stuff we accumulate. I shared how living a life free of stuff resonated deep within me, but I wasn’t quite ready to take action.
Within the past few months, however, I have started taking action. It first started right after we moved. Maybe it was all the packing, unpacking, and organizing that made me finally say “Enough is enough!” or maybe it was just the right circumstances at the right time that made it easier to contemplate a life with less. Whatever the reason was, I started on this journey.
We haven’t made huge strides in minimizing our life, but we’ve definitely made progress. I joined an online forum where everyone was committing to getting rid of 2012 things in the year 2012. It helped me to have a goal and see myself making progress. Within just a few short weeks we’ve shedded close to 400 items that have been weighing us down.
One thing that surprises me most about going down this road towards minimalism is how closely it ties into my faith. When I first was drawn to the lifestyle of minimalism, I’ll admit, it had more to do with the clean look that minimalist style has and the lack of cleaning and organizing involved with it. But, I’m learning more and it’s becoming a much deeper issue that has more to do with my soul than it does my cleaning schedule.
I love reading other people’s journeys as they venture this path of minimalism. Miss Minimalist is definitely one of my go-to blogs that inspires and motivates me. My hope is that someday I can have the same impact on others.
{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
Love it! I am also a Christian and I think minimalism ties in perfectly with our faith. Blessings on your journey!
I agree it is surprising how spirituality and faith is deepened by minimalism. I guess it is because there are less distractions between you and God
Awesome!!! I’d be very interested in hearing where one could find a forum like that…(thanks in advance :) )
Purge, donate, repeat on a weekly basis and you’ll be amazed the progress you’ll make. I switched out my daughter’s summer clothes for winter ones. I notice that she now has drawers and a closet that is not stuffed. Same with my closet. I am not sure if I have donated 2,012 items this year but they know me very well at the Goodwill!
I absolutely love that 2012 idea for 2013 …
Fascinating!
And yes, our Christian faith surely impacts these decisions we’re making to pare down and eliminate and put far less emphasis on our stuff and more energy toward loving people well.
And I’m thinking that if Jesus was here in person today, He probably wouldn’t be dragging a u-haul truck behind Him or be overly absorbed in organizing His possessions …
I find simplicity to be spiritual as well. Learning to value material things less and relationships more.
Dan Garner
ZenPresence.com
You said it very well Christian Housewife. As a good steward of what God bestows upon us, it is a responsibility to have enough but not so much we waste. I visited your blog and you are authentic in your mission. As you soothe your soul, you are moving ever closer and you ARE already having an impact on others. I was blessed by your blog.
You were talking to me when you said: “We have too many clothes, too many toys, too many things to take care of.” We are not hoarders by any means, I constantly get rid of things. But I feel we can do a lot better. I want to tackle all this hidden stuff around the house.
What a beautiful story. I’m another mom – like you – who has found a deeper meaning to minimalism than originally planned. Yes, we started off with ‘looks more asthetically appealing’ and now as I move into my fourth year of minimalism, I realize there is way more than the reward of a clear flat surface.
We are also homeschoolers. I am genuinely interested to learn how you plan to homeschool as a minimalist (or are you leaving that section alone)? We have a case of ‘but I can use this for X…’ going on with our homeschool supplies and it’s always tempting to keep something ‘just in case’. We are more of your natural type learners than anything else and it’s very convenient to have a lot of different resources on hand.
Thank you for sharing your story! I will bookmark your blog. :)
We struggle with those same questions. Kids are always wanting to make something, and having “junk/stuff” around keeps us from buying it later. I find it hard to balance their need to explore and try things out with minimalism. Perhaps I offer too many choices?? I’m not sure. However, keeping a stash of .25 garage sale finds for the next size up or extra school supplies bought in August seems smart to me, even though it is something that sits in my basement for the time being not being used. Toys however, I am relentless about. As soon as a part is broken, missing, or they stop playing with it, out it goes.
AussieGirl,
I truly find myself torn regarding homeschooling and minimalism. I don’t want clutter taking over our life but since I want my children to love learning and to be able to explore their creative side I do let our “schoolroom” overflow with all things books, crafts, and hands-on projects. To keep it from getting out of control, I’ve found that organization is key. And if we start running out of organized places for things then I start purging that area. Maybe I’ll never reach a true “minimalist” state because of my love for all things books and crafts, but I’d be happy with this being my one flawed area regarding minimalism. And for me, that’s ok. :)
We are also homeschoolers and minimalists and I find that if I limit our supplies to one large bin we have plenty!
This is a great site too.
http://www.becomingminimalist.com/
Eve
I was first drawn to minimalism for the same reasons- the freed up space that meant less cleaning and more family time! And that was about a year ago, too. Also familiarly i have recently realised the relationship minimalism has with my faith; Islam. It is not surprising that others, especially Christians have noticed this as well since most, if not all, of our Prophets lived a minimalist lifestyle.
The Quran even states: “Eat and drink, but waste not by excess” (Qur’an 7:31). “And [they are] those who, when they spend, do so not excessively or sparingly but are ever, between that, [justly] moderate” (Qur’an 25:67). Remember that your God is Who we call Allah. It is the same God, Allah is simply the Arabic word for God.
Lovely post by the way, the 2012 things in 2012 sounds exciting, might have to try that for next year :)
Salam aleikum, Deniz! I’m a Muslim, too! I find minimalism to be closely tied with spiritual matters across the spectrum of faiths. I’ve been working on a blog documenting the experience from a Muslim perspective, as there are so many Christian minimalist bloggers around.
Also, you could try it a different way on the number of things to get rid of: take your birth month and birthday. Example: January 1 would be 101 things to get rid of. Salams!
I’ve been reading some of your blog post and they are very insightful. I too am a Christian mom but with only one child at this time (hoping for more in the future). I can’t imagine the challenge of stuff with having five children. I struggle with the accumulation and purging of things with just one!
I agree, the minimalist path is a journey just like the one of faith – there will be times when you doubt what you are doing, but it is something you can keep coming back to and try to improve how you live your life. Minimalism doesn’t worship consumerism, which for many in the western world sadly seems to be their greatest value. It also frees you to have more time to help others. Thought provoking, thank you xo
“…it’s becoming a much deeper issue that has more to do with my soul than it does my cleaning schedule” – so true! :)
I think it’s so nice to hear from someone who has just recently started their minimalist journey (in whatever form that may take for that person). Sometimes it feels so tiring to me to always read about people who have already gotten rid of ALL their excess stuff, who have quit their jobs and are now a published writer, who have backpacked around the world with only 5 pieces of clothing, who have gotten out of ALL their debts including their morgage and student loans… you get the picture! It sometimes feels like a bizarre minimalist competition, instead of people inspiring and supporting eachother. Thank you. :)
Can I encourage you to look at this post by another Christian blogger who articulates her view on ‘stuff’ very well? I am a Christian mum in Australia, who aspires to live a simpler life. However we also need to look at how our possessions can bless others. It’s a balance between not having too much, but organising and using what we do have for good. http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2012/06/why-do-i-have-this-stuff-building-a-sharing-community.html
I also find minimalism ties in with my life on many levels. Not only is it more practical and economical, easier to clean…it does soul-satisfy, as well. It gives one the atmosphere and time for contemplation. As I read recently, “Stuff is not neutral. It creates stress and a feeling of heaviness.”
As a Christian, I do not feel that minimalism is a requirement, but it is a lot harder to bow down before the altar of material belongings when you deliberately live minimally.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 19:20-21. Minimalism fits well with Christianity because it frees up a person to concentrate on the things that really matter instead of stuff.
Matthew 19:20-21 does sum it up best Nice job Sarah S.
Those thoughts are also in Ecclesiastes. It wasn’t til recently that manufactured goods became cheap enough that large numbers of people could carry around tons of stuff.
Judaism is about continuing the work of creation- making the world a better place. Social justice demands that we not spend money on consumer goods but on charity and good works. I’ve gone to a few demonstrations since I retired, some with my DH and some without. If I had to spend my time shopping for things I don’t need, or worrying about my clothes, I couldn’t do those things.
I have another big stack for the library which isn’t open today. Magazines I borrowed and magazines which were passed on to me. Art supplies for the children’s room. When I use up what I have, I will stop collecting collage supplies. I have enough for at least 2 years worth of collages. Paper flowers, buttons, shiny cardboard, odds and ends of paper of all different kinds sorted by color and texture in a small basket. Tiny bits of yarn and fabric, bits of denim from jeans too ratty to give away, flannel shirts with holes, mismatched socks. At least everything is sorted into one small basket, the size of a large shoe box. Cleaning up my Mom’s hoarding over the years means I will never have a lot of anything.
Over the years I have kept giving things away and yet there is always more. I give away and yet more comes.