The REAL Reason we Live with Less {And our YouTube Debut}

I really cannot believe I am doing this…posting this video. I share it because it is a funny example of what has been going on in our house this week. I hate clutter.

Let me reiterate that,

I HATE CLUTTER!

Really, it makes me anxious, makes me weak in the knees and leaves me feeling sick to my stomach and that is not an exaggeration. It makes me feel like my life is out of control.

But, the problem is-I married a man that just does not really care. He misplaces the 1o things he bought and cannot find the ONE he needs so he goes out to buy another one.

Call it what you will, but I think we are experiencing a bit of growing pains.

Luckily he does not mind that I love to purge, declutter and downsize. He is actually quite thankful because he can see how it positively influences our lives. But, there have been a few times, like today, when we have become engrossed in heated discussions over what to keep and what to get rid of.

Many of you know that we went from living in a 260 sq. foot tiny house on wheels to a 2000+ sq foot home. We have more space than we need. In fact, our home has three bathrooms, a home theater, office, workout room, and a closet the size of my tiny house. It is pure madness!

You see, as residents of a very privileged country we assume we need all the extras, or that perhaps, somehow we are deserving of them. This just really is not the case.

Let me explain why.

Just last summer we went on a missions trip to build two homes in my Pete’s honor. It was a beautiful experience. One I will never, ever forget. We built homes for families in need; each one was erected in a matter of days. The finished products did not even include indoor plumbing or running water. But, it was a roof over their heads which was far better than what they had, had previously….which was nowhere to call home.

And then, just like that, they did.

These are the gracious tears of a life changed.

It really was an incredible honor to witness the lives of families forever changed by the gift of such a simple home; a home without all the extras and one that they definitely were not expecting. It was obvious that they did not feel at all deserving of the gift they were being given. Surprisingly, we did not even feel deserving enough to be gifting them the homes because the work, although done by our hands, was not REALLY our work. It was the work of the Lord.

Don’t you see that when this experience is used as a comparison to “typical” living  conditions in the US, it is no secret that we are beyond privileged? And yet, we bicker about how much money we can get for the chairs, how many chairs we have, and which cabinet we will buy at ikea to hold all the stuff we do not need anyway.

Are you humbled yet? I know I am…..

I believe that the real reason we choose to live with less is because we were never deserving of ALL we have been given in the first place.

I hope the video makes you laugh. We obviously do not take ourselves too seriously!