I do not function well in chaos. I get easily overwhelmed, over-stimulated, and the management of all the things can send me into a stressed out frenzy. I will sometimes grab a plastic garbage bag and go through various closets, filling the bag. I like to be in control, and often when it feels like things are spiraling, filling a bag with useless things gives me back this sense of control over my world. Justin preached on the balance between simplicity, consumerism and ultimately how the gospel shapes how we trust God’s care over us, in all ways.

We bought our first new car earlier this year. Even now, if we catch Lucy putting her shoes on the back of the seat in front of her, we anxiously remind her not to. Our stuff takes up space, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It causes us anxiety and can easily overwhelm us. Why though? We desperately need to obtain security. We crave comfort and we do what we must to hold on to it.The culture tells us what things we should own, how much, when to buy more, sell more, purge, all promising that it will lead to some sense of freedom. But, the answer doesn’t lie in always gaining more or in minimalism. It won’t save you. It won’t provide the peace or comfort you are seeking. Only the gospel can.

What is Jesus’ response to us from Matthew 6? “Do not be anxious”! “Looks at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet our heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?...consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil or spin”. God cares for his creation, down to the smallest detail, and here we are reminded that we hold more value than that. Yet, we doubt that God is working in the ordinary details of our lives.

But, this passage emphasizes God’s fatherly care over his children. We are to be shaped by God’s kingdom, not by the weight of the expectations of the world. I know, easier said then done. But, this is why we must remain drenched in God’s Word, in community with his people, and we remain open handed when it comes to our things. To put it simply, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you”.

~Bronwyn Siebert