Faithfully Yours - Downsizing 101

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By Neil Strohschein

This past week I decided to begin the daunting task of clearing the clutter in my home office. My office has been in the same room in my house for almost seven years. In that time, I have transformed the closet into a storage area and created several piles of books, magazines and other papers—all of which must now be sorted into “things I keep” and “things I either throw away or give away.”

My filing cabinets must likewise be cleared out. Some files will be kept. Some will be stored. The rest will be destroyed. Last of all will be the desk drawers with their collection of miscellaneous trinkets and a myriad of patch cords, computer cables and phone lines. Most will be stored. A few will be kept for use when needed.

Once the office is done, my wife and I will go through the other rooms in the house—one at a time of course. The goal is the same—to identify and dispose of anything we don’t really need. The whole project will likely take three to six months to complete; but will give us a much roomier living environment than we have now.

But all of this is just a dry run. The big project will happen in a few years when we sell the house and move into an apartment or small condo. Then the real downsizing will begin—as much of what we have now won’t be making the move with us. It won’t fit into a smaller space.

I spent a few days last week reflecting on how much my life has changed. Like everyone else, I came into this world with nothing. Over time, the stuff began to accumulate—clothing, books, furniture, etc. all came into my possession. But while all of these things were nice to have, they cost a lot to move from one place to another; and in my profession, people move quite often. So as time passes and I need less, I am divesting myself of the things I don’t need. And one day, when I die, whatever’s left will be given to someone else. I will leave this world as I entered it—with nothing. So how will my life be judged by others and by God?

In his lecture on The Price of Leadership, the late Charlie Jones tells of a seminar he and six others were asked to attend. “Our speaker,” he said, “began his presentation by looking us straight in the eye and saying: ‘Men, you are not ready to live until you know what you want written on your head stone.’” Jones took those words seriously and resolved to do what he could to enrich the life of every person he met.

He loved to read books. So he bought books—50 or more at a time—all of which he gave away. The books he shared with others were the books that had helped make him the man he was. And while his work brought him much wealth, the changes he saw in the lives of the people who read the books he gave them brought him a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that money could never buy.

Jones isn’t the only one who learned to live more simply and use his excess resources to enrich the lives of others. He is one of hundreds of thousands, dating back to the time of Jesus Christ himself, who have done the same thing. Today, God asks us to follow their example and promises great rewards to those who do.