Downsizing

 

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:6-10 ESV).

 

One of the popular programs on HGTV chronicled people looking for “tiny homes.” They didn’t want an enormous mortgage payment, and they didn’t need space for a lot of accumulated stuff. So they look at 200 square-foot homes instead of 2,000 square-footers. Some of these have a master bedroom you crawl into under the rafters, a children’s bedroom under the other end of the roof, and a kitchen, dining room, bath, and living room cleverly squeezed into one small area. Sometimes the biggest question is “Do we really need a bathtub? A shower takes up less space.” In one episode, a man named Paul said, “If we have food and clothing we will be content with that. Of course, if we live in northern Canada, we might need a place to get in out of the icy blasts.” But Paul’s point is well-taken. Stuff can often be an encumbrance to our faith.

 

In our reading today, the Apostle Paul simply says, “… contentment with godliness is great gain” (v. 6). We see the same principle in the Tenth Commandment (Exodus 2017). Here the Law points the way to contentment. This injunction deals with covetousness. If we always have a roving eye, hankering for our neighbor’s house, car, or spouse, there will be no end to feeling unsettled. But with the Holy Spirit living in our hearts, filling the void that would otherwise drive us to distraction, we have peace and contentment within.

 

It is important not to get hung up with the peripheral issues here. Paul is not saying having a big house or lots of stuff is wrong. He is saying that it can often lead to an unsettled lack of contentment. It’s the desire for more that robs us of contentment. I guess I’ve moved enough in my life that I’ve also learned the value of downsizing. Of course I’ve never lived in a 200 square-feet house. In fact, my shop is bigger than that! What I have learned is that there are many things I thought I couldn’t live without previously that now seem like such unnecessary items. I’m perfectly content without them. Perhaps it’s time for you to “downsize” your desires.