Simplify ...

"While it's easy to become paralyzed by the world's suffering and the inequalities created by corruption and greed, we actually hold immense power for change, simply by virtue of our wealth and economic independence.  Because we decide where our dollars go.  Never has so much wealth been so concentrated; our prosperity is unprecedented.  If enough of us decided to share, we would unleash a torrent of justice to sweep away disparity, extreme poverty and hopelessness.  The world is waiting.  Our kids are watching.  Time is wasting.  Are we willing?"  -Jen Hatmaker

My children were born into the wealthiest nation ever to exist.  This is not something I want them to feel guilty about -- they had no more say about where they were born than any of us have (and Scott and I had the same privilege) but I do want to instill in them a deep sense of justice and responsibility.  How do we teach American children today the difference between needs and wants?  To always value people over things.  That Jesus speaks more of caring for the poor than He does about almost any other topic.  That this matters.  How do we compete for their souls with a world that is constantly advertising and telling them that this one new toy/game/item will make them happier?  Will they think it's weird that their "crazy" (insert eye rolling) parents chose to live in a small space intentionally to use fewer resources?  Will they be embarrassed that they don't get every new gadget and toy that comes out on the market?  The more I've read and talked and prayed ... the word that comes to mind is:  simplify.  The longer I've parented the more sense it makes.  I know for a fact that the more toys and clutter my kids have around them, the less attention they pay to them.  I know that every young kid would rather play with the boxes and bows than the toys.  I know that my children get overwhelmed and overstimulated by constant noise and too much STUFF.  I know that it saddens me deeply that we consume such an incredible amount of resources on things our children will play with a hand full of times while most children in the world don't have enough to eat.  I know that we're setting them up for the idea that they always need something that's newer, bigger, better.  A new toy to replace the one that they've grown tired of.  Of course I want them to have favorite items -- a bike, books, special meaningful toys.  But what if we said enough with the excess.  This is hard to do!  I didn't struggle with this in the same way before I had kids.  I've talked with a lot of mamas about this recently and things become so much easier to justify once kids enter the picture.  But all the other kids have ----, but I'm so tired from the kids that I should have that latte ... again (very guilty!) ... But they NEED (sometimes true, often not) this, that or the other.  That, I think is the hardest part.  The justification of our excess.  Our kids will learn how much value to place on money and possessions based on how we do.  We either walk the walk ... or we don't.  But soon they'll be old enough to figure that out.  Living with less creates more space.  It just does.  More physical space, yes (and Lord knows how much I hate clutter to begin with!  Post-kids, Scott jokes that if he doesn't nail things down they'll end up in the Goodwill pile!) but also more space for relationships and more time for the things that matter.  I read this beautiful blog this week (you can find it here) that shared a list of why less is more.  This isn't something I'll always (or even usually) get right.  But I WILL keep trying to "live simply so others may simply live" (I grew up in Portland -- this bumper sticker is a favorite!)  It matters too much to stop trying and the generation of kids being raised today MUST understand that the world is not all about them and how comfortable they can make their lives.  It matters more than almost anything else I could teach my kids.  And they are paying attention.