Just Enough

Found this here, got there from here, and ironically saw it here, too.

1) Living with just enough is an act of discipleship - Jesus soundly condemned the wealth-seeking of his own day. He called his disciples to seek first the Kingdom and not to worry about what they would eat, drink and wear. He called the poor blessed and uttered "woes" against the rich, telling stories to illustrate his point. He declared that mammon (love of wealth) prevented people from serving God. He warned against "laying up treasures on earth" and told people to give away their possessions. A commitment to Jesus led members of the early church to share their goods with one another. Those who claim to be Christ's faithful followers must grapple with his clear call to live simply.

2) Living with just enough encourages generosity - Jesus honoured the poor widow who placed two copper coins, her entire living, into the synagogue treasury. He recognized that, oftentimes, it is the poor who demonstrate the greatest spirit of generosity. The more stuff we humans acquire, it seems, the less we are willing to part with it. A commitment to living with just enough encourages us to be more generous. When we are less attached to "our" money and "our" possessions, we are freed to share them with others. And when we give more freely and generously, we in turn find ourselves less concerned to acquire more things.

3) Living with just enough demonstrates resistance - Our economy is driven by a culture of consumerism. Marketers and advertisers continually make us feel ashamed if our clothes are out of style, our car is old or we don't have the latest electronic gadgets. Living with just enough is a way of resisting this insanity. It is a way of being conscientious objectors to a society and an economy that depends on people being kept in a state of perpetual dissatisfaction. Someone has written that "conformity to a sick society is to be sick." A tradition of nonconformity has historically been an important piece of the Anabaptist-Mennonite heritage. That tradition, especially as it applies to the culture of consumerism, is worth rediscovering.

4) Living with just enough fosters sustainability - It preserves God's creation. Extravagant and wasteful lifestyles contribute to environmental depletion. Indeed, scientists with the ecological footprint movement indicate that if everyone consumed in the way that most North Americans do, we would need 2 to 3 additional planets to provide the resources and process the waste. The earth cannot sustain such a level of consumption. A commitment to live with just enough is a necessary part of valuing and helping to preserve God's creation.

5) Living with just enough invites discernment - Sometimes the pressures of time and busy schedules force us to act in unsustainable ways. We opt for fast or processed food rather than a simple nutritious meal. We drive to the corner store rather than walk or bike, or simply do without. A commitment to live with just enough makes us consciously confront the stresses and pressures in our lives. It pushes us to make intentional choices about those things which are truly life-giving, perhaps even limiting involvements that are good and worthy. It helps us to be discerning about our lives.

6) Living with just enough is an act of witness - A friend chooses to take a bus rather than an airplane, not because the bus is cheaper, but because it uses less fuel and therefore is less harmful to the environment. A family with teenagers chooses to live without a car. Yet another family chooses to shop at a downtown independent grocer than at the big superstore in the suburbs, therefore paying considerably more for their groceries; they say they can better support local producers this way. All of these people are witnesses to a more just world. You can be a witness too.

7) Living with just enough invites celebration - Much of the impulse for the simple living movement has been middle class guilt. But guilt has little staying power. Moreover, guilt-motivated living will likely find expression in legalism and rigidity. We will find ourselves judging those who buy a certain house or take a certain vacation. Spirit-filled simple living, on the other hand, is characterized by joy, freedom and peace. It is grounded in God's promise of abundant living and enough for all people. It is the outward expression of a life focused on seeking first God's Kingdom.

I love the Mennonites. I've only known one Mennonite in my life, when I lived in Washington. They seem like they are a community of people who take this stuff seriously. I used to think I was becoming Catholic because of Nouwen, Merton and Mother Teresa, but now I feel like the Mennonites are in the running. The simlilarities are obvious: a spiritual awareness of the world and an understanding of the radical nature of true Christian living.