A Greater Glory.

This past weekend, Ashley and I awoke to an eclectic mix of accents and wardrobes of people gathering in line in anticipation of staking claims on items sold underneath our very lily home. The harbinger for this Estate Sale came in the form of endless stock piles of rubber stamps, tin canisters, wooden pianos, and whitewashed furniture caged within the dark and slightly dilapidated walls of what we call "basement storage." Our basement, stacked from floor to ceiling with a surplus of Things has been the endless source of that exact last minute party item you might need; metal troughs to store party drinks, table runners for family dinners, window frame decor for movie nights… even an extra table leaf that now serves as my self-made closet shelf (shhhhh).

Things on the tables, Things on the floor… So many Things in the basement!

Over the past few weeks, it was clear through the daily removal of basement items and noticeable price tag postings that our lily motto of "don't go to the store, check the basement!" might soon dig its grave. And indeed, last Saturday proved to be the time we would wave goodbye to our party list reserves and laundry room basement gems. People appeared out of the woodwork for this sale with one goal in mind: more stuff.

Okay, so I walked away with one gem...

Lately, I am confronted with the pervasive necessity for sheer "stuff." We collect and arrange, need and then need more… We daydream "if only I have this…" and obsess over how our life would inevitably feel more full with that one awesome skirt from the window of J Crew. Understandably, I do not plead innocent in the desire to fill my life with things - after all, I left the sale with a swiveling, reclining desk chair that I'm convinced makes studying all the more possible. Yet I'm left wondering Why? What is human nature that is never satisfied, never left feeling we have enough? We pass on from this life leaving our things behind to be argued and picked over by total strangers at an Estate Sale... What is the point?!

Where life is at peace. In the wilderness. In a tent.
[Waupaca, WI. Fall 2013]

I find myself in the in-between state of knowing; I know I can live with very little, but I can't escape the pestering voice promising happiness in Jo's jeans and Anthropologie dresses. I want to return to the simplicity of living with less baggage, while knowing it means going to battle against a culture that constantly screams More. To do this, I need a reminder of how much I have, bringing me to a new realization of how little I need. I'm implementing slight lifestyle reminders so the hints of blessing rise to the surface and cover those empty holes of want.

The structural simplicity of this monastery orients one towards simplicity in Christ.

To be reminded that what I have is already more than enough, I am devoting my summer to running.

Since moving to Chicago, it has been a life dream to run the marathon. Each year, I imagined entering the registration, but it never cohesively aligned with my summer schedule as it intersected with travel and other plans. Each year I heard the testimonies from World Vision runners, watched the video, but couldn't take that step of commitment. With returned convictions of living life simply, it is clear that this year is it. I want to run to provide a lifetime supply of water for another in need; I want each run to be a reminder of living with less; I want to dedicate this summer to living by the anthem that He is enough for me, will meet all my needs, and will provide for others outside the narrow scope of life I witness in the day to day.

Promptings of freedom on the open road.

If I am truly committed to cleaning out and living simply and having less, I also must clear the clutter. So in May, I will be selling most of what I currently own. (That's right… those shoes that I will probably want to wear again in five years when I attend a black tie gala event on a cruise will have to be sold….) All proceeds from the sale will go directly to supporting the child I am running for with Team World Vision. The stuff that follows me around and knocks at my doorstep with Want will soon find itself within the hands of new owners. As I sell and run and give away and train, I want my life to honor this commitment and reflect a calling to serve others' needs before my own. Simplicity is a recurring theme that I return to… and this year I want to run after it with boldness and courage.

Picnics from a backpack next to the melodic splashing of a river. Wild and free.
[Camino de Santiago, 2013]

In January, I chose this verse to define 2014. The meaning is slowly revealing itself.

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." 

:: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ::