Overcoming Stuff

A commentary by Hansel New

Stuff is out to take over your life! If you let it, that is.

It doesn't take long to figure out that the stuff we own can become unmanageable. Think about how much of your week was spent attending to the needs of your stuff—both material and e-stuff (electronic stuff).

Our buy-now society sustains itself by gorging on a daily intake of stuff, and it causes us consumerism-induced heartburn. The prescription chosen by some is to go in the opposite direction toward a life of minimalism and simplicity.

Hold the stuff, please

What motivates minimalists to become conscientious have-nots? Some have a background in the modern green movement and environmentalism. Stuff takes a bunch of energy and raw materials to make and discharges pollution and garbage in the process. Their logic is basic supply and demand: Buying less stuff causes demand to plummet, leading to the manufacture of less stuff.

Others simply become choked by material things and look for ways to manage the amount of stuff in their lives and homes. Several bloggers have fought back with creative ways to combat stuff.

One such effort called the 100 Thing Challenge, recently garnered the attention of Time magazine. The challenge is to live for one year by paring down the stuff you personally own to 100 things or less. The self-proclaimed mission of this blogger is to "challenge stuff and fight consumerism."

Is stuff contagious?

Several books, movies and Web sites now champion a break with rampant consumerism. One popular TV special with its own Web site by the same name is Affluenza. It suggests that our society's addiction to keeping up with the Joneses is akin to a disease. It offers diagnosis, treatment and a way of escape. One definition offered for "affluenza" is "an epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by a dogged pursuit of the American Dream."

Is living a life of simplicity or minimalism the real answer to consumerism? There's plenty of good advice about slowing down and living a simpler life, but does it address the underlying problem?

Are you content?

What does God say about stuff and its rightful place in our lives?

Much of the problem resides in our underlying attitude and emotional attachment to the latest and greatest things on the market. Yet when we get all that stuff we want, it's never enough. We're never content.

Contentment is a biblically sound tool for overcoming excessive wants and desires. Paul was an apostle of God who learned the lesson of contentment and shared what he learned with us. "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation... whether living in plenty or in want" (Philippians 4:12, New International Version).

So what is this secret?

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (verse 13). The secret is a paradigm shift from a focus on things (stuff) toward a focus on our Lord and Creator. That basic shift can transform us.

Jesus Christ knows what we need and promises to take care of those needs. We don't have to run after the latest things like the masses of humanity around us. Read Matthew 6:25-34 for more details. And check out "A Beautiful Vertical Mind" to learn more.

Don't let stuff control your life. Attack it with a healthy dose of divine contentment. VT