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I’m addicted to the TV show called Clean Sweep and always experience something of a catharsis when I watch it. The show encourages people to sort through clutter in their homes and radically simplify their lives. Clean Sweep gives me incentive (and permission) to throw away the old newspaper clippings I’ve been saving for 15 years, and donate my Cabbage Patch doll to the MCC thrift store (even though I’m still convinced chubby Carrie Marguerite will be worth thousands of dollars some day). Who really needs Grandma’s faded watercolour painting sitting at the bottom of the closet?
I’m deeply convinced of the necessity to de-clutter, especially now that I’m engaged. In December, when Jason and I get married, we’ll face the huge task of combining piles of “stuff” from two households. It’s definitely time to purge!
The happy result of simplifying is a clean, organized life, with room to breathe – and room to hear the Spirit’s still, small voice whispering to us. No wonder that Mennonites across the centuries have advocated simple, modest living.
In this issue of the Herald, we’ve gathered several articles and resources on the topic of simplicity. Some view simplicity as a justice issue, a necessary antidote to Western materialism and greed. Others see it as a spiritual discipline that draws us closer to God. Some cast doubt on the whole simplicity movement, and wonder whether small lifestyle adjustments (such as riding a bike to work or purchasing local produce) will actually result in the environmental and global changes we seek. Others encourage us to move beyond categories of simplicity or complexity, and to focus instead on God’s calling and mission for our individual lives.
We trust that the diverse content of this issue will be challenging and inspiring. This September, as we clean out our closets and get ready for another school year, as we organize our family calendar and activities, as we plan times of work and rest, let’s consider simplifying just one aspect of life. May this create a “space” for God to speak and bring transformation to our lives and world.
“I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little.”
—Philippians 4:12 (The Message)
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