Simplicity

Homeschooling by its very nature comes with a lot of 'stuff' - schoolbooks, storybooks, craft supplies, science kits, history projects, books, books and more books! Add to that the fact that many of us are teaching 2, 3, 4 or more kids and you can imagine how much 'stuff' we can accumulate. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not really into the streamlined look of Pottery Barn. I love trinkets and color and collections, so it might seem odd that I have really been trying to embrace the idea of simplicity this Lent. It started with the regular feeling of being overwhelmed with the housework that many of us experience. In the midst of all the work it dawned on me that I spend much of my time organizing, cleaning and straightening up 'stuff'! Now I am not about to get rid of it all, but clearly when I begin to feel overwhelmed it is time to revisit each room and really try to weed out a bit. I mentioned in yesterday's post that I try to stick to a 10-minute cleanup rule. If I can't regularly straighten up a room in 10 minutes, even after it has been well organized, then it is too cluttered. Either way, I try to have regular decluttering and organizing sessions at our house - usually 2 or 3 times a year. There is something about this time of year that inspires me to let go. Let go of the stuff. Let go of the feeling of being overwhelmed. Let go of those things that are holding me back.

The problem is that it is hard to let go. I find that I often come face to face with fear. Fear that I might get rid of something and then need it. Fear that I might not have the money to purchase something when I need it. So my inclination is to hold on to everything that I might ever need! But then I wonder if I am trusting God. I once heard another homeschooling mom say that she never held on to stuff she would not use in the next year or two. She instead chose to trust that if God's will for her was to continue down this path, he would provide all that she needed. WOW! Did I have a big aha moment! It is one thing to be thrifty but we can really cross the line of not trusting in our Heavenly Father to provide all of the gifts he promises us, all in the name of frugality. Was I being prepared or simply fearful?

This morning I opened up "In Conversations with God" and much to my amazement this is the first line I read: "In this period of Lent the Church in this regard calls out to us frequently so that me may disengage ourselves from the things of this earth, and thus fill our hearts with God." OK, now I'm starting to get it. It's not so much about getting rid of all my stuff, though that helps tremendously. It's about being detached from the things of this world - my stuff. Detachment increases our capacity for loving God and others. Detachment makes us more aware of our desperate need for God. Detachment calls forth from us a generosity of spirit.

I thought God was prompting me to Simplicity this Lent, but now I think I need to add Detachment to that list. It may take a lifetime of Lents...