A Spiritual Journey

I guess I should also share about how a large part of this "simplifying" is a spiritual journey. This all came about because of listening to sermons, podcasts and books that all addressed, in different ways, what Jesus demonstrated through his lifestyle, messages and life in general throughout Scripture. When you look at His life you clearly see he wasn't chasing after wealth, fame, superiority, power, stability, convenience, etc. He was a "simple" man, in a really complex sort of way! ;) But truly simple in the way he lived. He didn't have a large house, big buildings to preach in, a lot of wealth or power. He taught outside along hillsides and by bodies of water. He walked from town to town. He slept as a guest in other people's homes as he traveled. He was born in a manager. He rode on a donkey, not a horse, which was borrowed even. He didn't carry money, based on the passage where he had Peter (I think it was) pull money out of the mouth of a fish while speaking about paying taxes. So, if Christians are meant to be "Christ-like" and Christ lived an example of a life that was counter our culture, shouldn't we be doing the same? Trust me, I'm not sure I like the sound, feeling or idea of all of these things, which is why it's a process and why it takes learning on my part. I quite frankly, like the idea of stability, home ownership, space, a reliable car or cars, having the financial freedom to do what I want to. Although, I'm not sure that it means not having all of those things, but maybe it's just putting all of them into a different perspective. A perspective of gratitude, knowing that ALL things come from His provision and not our efforts. A perspective of giving, generosity and compassion towards situations and people around us. A perspective where you eliminate the "ownership" of it all. By that I mean, you stop looking at things, money, jobs, stuff as mine. If you have these new perspectives on our "stuff" it's easier to not be so attached to the world's ways of doing things. You start to see other people's needs as equally important as your life/needs. Suddenly you're not so self-absorbed, self-centered, self-focused, selfish--all those words that don't have a very positive meaning! You become more Christ-like. A journey it is, and a spiritual one, for sure! This could be a tough one!