:: In.a.Mirror.Dimly ::

You don’t need it.

This has become my new mantra when I enter any kind of store—from Home Depot to the convenience store where I buy our milk. I used to make frequent impulse buys and unnecessary purchases. With a small apartment and a smaller bank account, thanks to my freelance writing income, that has ended.

When I think of what to say to graduates who are just starting out, or perhaps to a friend in a time of transition, I’d offer my simple little mantra: “You don’t need it.”

Treasure in Heaven

Jesus told us to store up treasure in heaven, but most days I have a hard time applying that. Where do we draw the line with this? I trust that we all draw our lines in different places, though God is most likely challenging most of us move away from treasure on earth and toward accumulating treasure in heaven.

I hit on this last week in my post about discipleship as downward mobility. As we decrease in this world, we free ourselves to increase in God’s Kingdom.

In fact, our possessions can become liabilities that occupy us, soak up our time and resources, and distract us from the work of God’s Kingdom. Perhaps the best thing we can do during times of transition is to cut things out rather than adding to what we have.

No Regrets

We used to own a home with a large garage and a few spare bedrooms. Our yard was just shy of 2 acres. I’d spend hours landscaping it, mowing it, fixing up the house, and working to fill the rooms of our house with stuff.

Since we downsized to an apartment in Connecticut, I still miss the flowers I planted, but overall I don’t have many regrets. While I trust that home ownership is the right move for many folks, it had become a burden for us at that season in our lives—one that we didn’t recognize until we were free from it.

I once listened to a talk by Mark Scandrette (of Reimagine) about downsizing his possessions by half, and the freedom that came from that. I’m not sure about percentages, but we certainly got rid of many things in our move. I can’t think of one thing that I wish we’d kept.

The best advice I can give is to prevent accumulating from starting in the first place. I’d suggest beginning with some essential items for your new apartment, but try going without cable or end tables or matching furniture or whatever it is that you think you need but can live without. You may find after six months that certain things are worth having and others are not.

If you’re like me, and you’re well on your way to becoming a pack rat, it’s never too late to learn the “You don’t need it” mantra. Living in the Kingdom demands a certain detachment from our possessions, and teaching myself to say, “You don’t need it!” is one way to challenge the tyranny of money and things in our lives. Whether giving some things away that you don’t use often or giving yourself a 30-day ban from impulse purchases, removing the grip of possessions and spending frees us to be used by God for Kingdom “transactions”.

If You Need to Buy It…

Tomorrow I’ll touch on the kind of purchases that I’d suggest making when it is time to buy something.