More about Abundance and Spaciousness

Still thinking about Celebrating Abundance -- I love that way of thinking about decluttering and simplicity, because really that's what it's about -- the extra clutter and complexity actually distracts from the essential things.

This is another oldie from my archives -- an e-list discussion about simplicity. I'm posting it because it seems to fit in with that topic -- of abundance being something different than having multitudes of "stuff" (whatever your stuff happens to be -- whether lots of activities, lots of curriculum on your shelves, lots of educational toys -- whatever!) Louise had written (I love the way she puts it "using what's in our hands through faith" -- I will have to put that in my spiral!):

I have been thinking a lot about simplicity lately. Isn't it about using what's is in our hands with faith rather than going through unreasonable expenses or extra work (for example overdone planning)?

I wrote:

This is what I've been wondering. Looking back at 10 years of homeschooling, I see that some of our best years occurred when we kept things the simplest. One year I was on bedrest and then recovering slowly from a C section. Another year we were in an apartment in San Francisco, with only a couple of carfuls of our "stuff". Another year, I chose to focus on the minimal 3R's, plus Elizabeth's booklist. My kids still often talk about that last year and how much they learned, how it shaped their view of life. I'm trying to get back to that this year.

I firmly believe that God blesses us in our deprivations... otherwise how could Jesus's beatitude sermon make sense? Blessed are the poor... blessed are those who mourn... blessed are the humble of heart.... If the Gospels are about *anything*, they are about the value of *not having* things. It's not just a negative value, but an actual real *something* that you get in return.

I do not live this well... but over the summer it has been brought home to me that when I acquire something or keep something I don't absolutely need, I give up something in exchange. Not just money... but something else. ... faith, or dependence on God, my own ability to make do and be content, or something??

Contrarily, when I let go of something that I think I might need, or something I use but don't actually need, I receive something in return. It's hard to explain, but in return for this deprivation, I get peace of mind, a kind of strength and resourcefulness. In light of that, when I box up a great resource and give it away, I am trying to teach myself to recognize that I am given an invisible, but significant, gift in return. God's strength is made evident in our weakness, and His gifts often present themselves in the things we DON'T have. If I HAVE it, I have my reward as Jesus often said. If I renounce it, I get whatever He would have given me, if I didn't have it.

I think there are two kinds of abundance. One of our visiting priests (we live in a mission parish) told the story of the Greek philosopher who, when someone said to him, "Too bad you don't know how to flatter the king as I do, so you have to live on lentils" -- replied to the courtier: "Too bad you aren't able to be content on lentils, so you have to flatter the king." The courtier had an abundance of comfort and luxury; the philosopher didn't mind giving up those things, in return for his integrity and peace of mind. In some ways, NEEDING something -- whether curriculum, or whatever -- makes you dependent on those things, while NOT needing things, even good things -- makes you more conscious of God and what He chooses to give you.

Again, I'm describing my own lacks here, and where I see I need to go -- in baby steps -- not where I am now, unfortunately!