Simplicity and Anxiety

In our young adult group at church (which Judah and I lead), we are currently studying the book, “Spiritual Disciplines” by Richard Foster. This book has already changed the way I think about my life and my faith, and I highly recommend it. Last week, we learned about the discipline of simplicity. The author basically explains simplicity as an inward reality that translates into an outward lifestyle, and he categorized it into three “inner attitudes”: what we have is a gift from God, what we have is to be cared for by God, and what we have is available to others. The BIC church (the denomination Judah grew up in) says about simplicity, “We value uncluttered lives, which free us to love boldly, give generously, and serve joyfully.” It is this very detachment from material things that gives us the freedom to focus on the more important things in life. One of the things that Foster says about simplicity is that it offers freedom from anxiety. And that’s what got me. I am a very anxious person. The shaking, the pacing, the churning stomach, the worry and dread, the nail-biting, the crying - those are all my unwelcome companions. I am so often robbed of peace and joy because I am so anxious. So besides the fact that the Bible is very clear about simplicity, money matters, the exploitation of the poor, and the accumulation of wealth, the idea of freedom from anxiety was very appealing to me. But this thought raised two questions in my mind.

First, does my stuff actually make me anxious? Would not having stuff make me not anxious? I mean, really, do the pillows on my couch and the dishes in my cabinet make me anxious? Deep inside, I knew that in some way, having an abundance of material possessions does make me anxious, but I wanted to figure out how. And not surprisingly, the more I thought about it, the more I learned. Practically speaking, having a lot of stuff means I have to spend more time cleaning, organizing, and tidying. Having a cluttered house makes my brain feel cluttered, and when there’s more stuff, I have to spend more time uncluttering. Another area of anxiety for me is clothing. Though I rarely buy clothes, I always want more, better, and trendier clothes, because I’m so worried about how people view me. Buying more clothes is not the answer. Changing my attitude is.  Similarly, wanting a nice house is also a weakness for me. Let me say this clearly: comparison is the destroyer of joy. I will never have as nice of a house as others. I will never have the nice phones and computers that other have. I will never have as much clothes. These things won’t make me happy, and I need to be ok with that.

So that leads to my next question. Can I even do that? Can I really get rid of things and be free of my attachment to them? Now, some of you are probably saying, “Well, you can be detached from your material possessions without getting rid of them.” Let me be honest; I don’t buy that. Matthew 19: 16-22 says,

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

This man did all the right things. He had the right attitude. But having the right attitude just isn’t enough if you can’t put it into practice. Judah and I always have it in the back of our minds that we want to go back to China, and I often think, what can I take with me? Not much. Can I really leave all these things behind? Well, I don’t really want to. I love my books. I love my tea sets, my crafts, my piano, my decorations... I don’t want to leave those things behind, but I can’t let them get in the way of loving and serving others.

And that’s where things get difficult.