We pulled into the drive of our new home and I have to be honest in saying that it was a bit shocking. It\u2019s cute but much smaller than the house we moved out of. The yard hasn\u2019t been treated and weeds have overtaken any sign of the potential green grass hiding underneath. The kitchen was far from complete and as I walked around this 1930\u2019s cottage style home, I could feel the anxiety rising within. There was no sink, dishwasher or countertops on the cabinets. I know I sound like a drama queen but as I took a walk through the house, I looked over at my husband and said, \u201cwhat did we do?\u201d He kindly responded, \u201cIt\u2019ll be okay, babe. Just keep the bigger picture in mind\u201d Through the tears and temporary frustration, I knew he was right.<\/p>\n
When my husband accepted his new job and we decided to move, we were both feeling a deep stirring in our hearts to simplify our lives. When I say simplify I mean, finding a smaller house, getting rid of all car payments, less eating out and less commitments all together. At the beginning of this move I thought the desire came from our dream of buying some land and building a house again one day. We knew if we wanted this dream to become a reality sooner rather than later we needed to take a step back for a season to save. What I\u2019ve realized a few months into this move is the desire to simplify our lives wasn\u2019t just to prepare ourselves for our dream but for spiritual growth too. As we simplify our lives, it reveals what truly matters most in our hearts.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know about you but I’ve heard the phrase \u201cless is more\u201d many times throughout my life. However, I can\u2019t say I’ve really ever applied it to my life or understood the impact it can have if we follow the philosophy. Throughout my younger twenties I believed creating a successful and fulfilling life meant I needed to have things to show for it like having a bigger house, nicer car and more money. The problem with that mindset is as trends faded, discontentment would eventually arise within my heart. This was a pattern I began to notice within myself from year to year.<\/p>\n
What I’ve discovered is there is a difference between making a mistake versus a reoccurring pattern in our lives. Mistakes need grace and mercy. Patterns need healing. Patterns reveal there is something beneath the surface that we need to bring to Jesus. What I\u2019ve grown to love about God is that when he exposes something, like a negative pattern, it\u2019s not to make us feel bad or shameful about ourselves. Rather it\u2019s to reveal our need for Him and to draw our hearts closer to His. God wants to heal what he reveals and sanctify our hearts in the process. Every day and season is a chance to be developed. Sometimes he wants to develop our character and other times He wants to heal the deep wounds and misconceptions within. For me, I learned my need to have the next best thing was rooted in feeling like I needed to prove myself. Can you relate?<\/p>\n
The question I\u2019ve been prompted to ask myself in this season is: \u201c Am I truly satisfied with Jesus alone or am I only satisfied when I have Jesus plus something else?\u201d Make no mistake\u2013 I love having nice things too! I enjoy my hair extensions, getting my nails done and dreaming of the house and land we will one day raise a family on! We love traveling and trying out the newest restaurant in our area too. None of these things are bad. In fact, they are all part of what makes life fun! Yet, I’ve discovered that in the midst of pursuing all these things, we can still be checking the purity of our motives by coming before Jesus and asking him to search our hearts. Have we caught ourselves in a round of keeping up with the joneses? Are we pursuing these things to prove our worth to a world that will never meet our deepest need to be seen? Are we trying to one up that family member or friend who upset us by getting something we know they can\u2019t have? Are we trying to find value in things that will one day disappear forever?<\/p>\n\n\t\t