Sometimes shopping makes me feel like a bad person. I find myself thinking over and over, “I want that!” But I know as a Christian that stuff doesn’t matter and I shouldn’t covet it! That’s why when I come across people doing crazy things to fight consumerism and materialism I am so impressed.
Check out Goodbyewafflemaker.com for a prime example. Megan Deal is a student selling everything she owns. Whatever doesn’t sell goes to charity and the money she makes will help cover her living expenses for the next 14 months as she participates in a design program developing sustainable housing in Alabama. You can buy her items for as little as a penny!
Another example is this Washington woman who wore the same homemade brown dress every day for a year. She has since moved on to recycling everything she owns to create a wardrobe. She did buy a pair of hiking boots last summer though, she admits.
What do you think of these attempts to live more simply, and less commercially. Could you do it? I will say that in the past two years I have had two yard sales and sold a bunch of stuff on Craigslist, yet I still feel like I’m swimming in stuff– especially stuff that I don’t use or need. Do you ever feel like that?
May 10th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Living simply can not be a bad thing in this day and age. We have all seen what greed and avarice has done to everyone. I am about 3/4 of the way to becoming debt free – I started on my way in 2005.
October 27th, 2009 at 10:35 am
My husband and I are selling everything we own to pay off our student loans and live on CASH ONLY from here on out. While we sometimes miss our “stuff,” at the end of the month when we have one less bill, it’s all worth it. And this time in our lives has brought us closer together and closer to Christ.
February 12th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Do you remember the rich young ruler who spoke with Jesus? The young man told Jesus he’d obeyed the 10 commandments since he was a kid. Jesus’ reply, there’s one more thing you need to do: Sell everything you have, give the proceeds to the poor, and follow me.
Do you know there are some people nutty enough to actually do this? Here’s one on your left. Thomas Bell. He has literally sold everything he has (had?) and is giving his life to help the poor and follow Jesus. Another ordinary radical. Some of us in ministry are dorks (read, me) who can’t do anything else anyway. Then there’s Thomas. Duke University graduate, did something important sounding in a place called Oxford, England, and helped manage a very large sum of money and operations for a hospital/surgical facilities.
For fun, he learned Russian and started a microfinance initiative in Russia for Hope International. Yes, he’s actually on our team. God is merciful. Since November, Thomas quit his job, raised his support, sold all his furniture, gave away his car (Audi TT, not a beater), and headed to Sudan.
Thomas left on Monday for Sudan. Time period, indefinite. He’s going over with Seed Effect. His goal is to increase loan access to impoverished Sudanese through Seed Effect. $50, $100, $200 loans for bicycles, sewing machines, material, food, and a whole bunch more. Micro loans that end up sending kids to school, providing food for families, and maybe buying that malaria medicine that saves a life.
Is he sacrificing that education, salary and nice “stuff?” No, he’s storing up incalculable riches in Heaven, and obeying our king, Jesus. Take a moment and pray for Thomas as he begins his big adventure in Sudan.