Simple Compassion Study Chapter 6

(This is from a few weeks ago. We are now on Chapter 14, but I wanted to record the impact of chapter 6 on me)

I don't think I will blog about every chapter in this study, but will record the thoughts I have as I go along, not worrying about "hitting every chapter".

This chapter was about contentment. We had a great discussion about contentment with our stuff AND contentment in our circumstances. Are we content with the children we were given, including their unique personalities? Are we content with the jobs God has given us (or our spouses)? Are we content in the neighborhood where he has placed us?

This chapter hit at an interesting time for me because my husband and I have been having some interesting discussions about contentment with our "stuff". Specifically, we have felt God challenging us to take a close look at our "stuff" and our spending so that we can be content with LESS that what we have or can afford.

Sure, we are mostly content. After all we are a typical middle class family with a nice home, 2 working cars, 2 cell phones, a lovely hand-me-down laptop, some extra cash for pizza out. Sure, there are times that money feels tight, but we can put food on the table, keep in touch via all sorts of methods of communication, and cover little emergencies when they crop up.

Now, we can't travel to Disney for a week, afford to fly our family of 6 anywhere, stay in hotels, update the desktops, buy any camera lens I'd like, or shop for trendy clothes every season. Our savings accounts aren't bursting and our kids don't have college savings.

But overall, there is very little to feel discontent about.

But we got to talking one night about our lifestyle earlier in our marriage, back in the day when our tiny TV sat on a cardboard box. We recognize that as our income has grown, so has our spending.

And maybe. Just maybe. Some (or a lot) of it wasn't necessary.

Are there things we can give up? Can we be content with less? Can we freely STOP paying for luxuries and things we enjoy so that God can give us other opportunities to serve Him more generously with our money.

We began slowly. The first thing to go was the cable. We had lived without TV before and it was actually a huge blessing on our communication and marriage. So the first thing we nixed was the cable bill. We got a free hand-me-down converter box, allowing us to get a few channels when we want to catch a show.

But we are no longer paying for the privilege to watch them.

And yes, we miss HGTV, The History Channel, sports, and other fun stations. But overall, we have learned to be content with less.

Our next step was to find the least expensive, workable Internet option. Sadly, DSL is not available in our area, so we just reduced the speed we pay for to the "economy" Internet. Yes, upload times are slower. And I can't upload photos, talk on the phone, and surf the web at the same time.

But I am learning to be content with less "speed" online. And it really is a minor inconvenience.

Next, I decided to go back to the days when I was happy with a Hair Cuttery haircut. (*big SIGH here) I NEVER used to go to the salon. It was a treat on occasions, but now it is the standard. I cut my children's hair so that I can afford the luxury. But it is time to be content with less. And I am going to give it a go. And see...

But this "giving up" isn't so we can buy more in other areas. It isn't so that we can save more for ourselves. We want to keep giving this over to God so that He can lead us to DO more with our money.

Maybe some of that will include some savings. Yet, that isn't our desire. We have already started to see Him use the changes to free us up to give more generously to those around us. Hopefully I have a chance to blog about some of the directions where He leads us.

But for now, we are learning to be PURPOSEFULLY content with LESS.