Downsizing
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For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him. -Philippians 3:8
Having just moved, I’ve had my share of dealing with rubbish the past few months. Downsizing is a cleansing experience in every way, even though it is sometimes challenging.
First there is the stuff you uncover that is truly trash. The crumpled papers, old wrappers and packaging you wondered if you’d need again some day. Stuff that went right from the house into recycling or the bin.
Then there is the stuff you completely forgot you had. Sometimes it is a delight to discover a forgotten treasure, but mostly you ask yourself, “Why do I still have this thing?” These things, if not treasures, go into the yard sale or thrift shop pile if they are somehow one step above the trash bin.
Then there’s the stuff you’ve kept on purpose - the things you know you wanted the last time you moved. There is always so much more of that than you remembered you brought. That’s when the question, “Do I really still need this?” comes into play. I found it more more helpful to ask if I truly wanted to bring it forward into the rest of my life - to make room for the item in my much smaller house. More often than not, I found that many of these items had already served their purpose in my life and I was ready to let them go. These items went to interested friends or family members, or if not, the yard sale pile.
Finally, though, there was going through the stuff I love. The stuff I feel is important to me in one way or another. Maybe it’s something I use daily, and of course, those very useful things came with me. But there were other things I felt were important that I used much less often - or at all - things that were hanging around because they held memories from long ago. Such sentimental things are often hard to shed, but with gratitude for the memory, I found it felt wonderful to pass something like that on to a yard sale visitor who was as delighted with it as I was.
In shedding the many things I let go of, I began to feel the flow of life moving more freely through my life and my home, and now I have a much less cluttered and far more comfortable smaller new home that feels right-sized for me. Added benefit - it’s a lot easier to clean the house when there is less stuff in it!
Paul had given up all his previous comforts as a respected Roman citizen when he went on the road to be an evangelist all over the Mediterranean world. Other things were stripped by him through his repeated jailings and beatings and other persecutions. Paul says that he has come to regard all those things he once loved, revered and gave his life to as ‘rubbish.’ In truth, the Greek word he uses here is more appropriately translated as ‘dung’ (or perhaps, something a bit coarser than that). Things he once thought were the point of life had become ancillary. His whole life had been re-structured by his call to be Christ’s ambassador. His life had developed a whole new meanting without the trappings of earthly comfort and power. Christ’s presence in his life, work and mission had become a far deeper gift than any other thing had ever had.
Downsizing and letting go can be rough, but it’s a great opportunity to re-prioritize and shed old ideas of what your life is supposed to be about. You don’t have to move to do that, however. It’s always a good time to re-evaluate what you spend your life energy, time and money on, and whether you’re being called to do something differently.
