To continue my thoughts on simplicity in a consumer culture, I’d like to spend one more post examining the inward part of this discipline before discussing what it looks like outwardly. I left off last time discussing the need for a “kingdom-first” mentality. This, I agree with Foster, is the core principle here. Listen to how emphatic he is on the matter:
Focus upon the kingdom produces the inward reality, and without the inward reality we will degenerate into legalistic trivia. Nothing else can be central. The desire to get out of the rat race cannot be central, the redistribution of the world’s wealth cannot be central, the concern for ecology cannot be central. Seeking first God’s kingdom and the righteousness, both personal and social, of that kingdom is the only thing that can be central to the Spiritual Discipline of simplicity.
This point is worth considerable reflection as we face the oppressive force of a society bent on endless consumption, boundless “growth” and individual success. There are many arguments for what will actually cause change in our society. What Foster is arguing is ultimately that redirected worship, which happens first individually and then has communal implications, is the only hope for lasting change. Given this fact, he also points out that it is possible to exhibit outward signs of simplicity without actually having it in spirit, which will ultimately lead to breakdown.
So how do we know if we are cultivating the inward reality? There is certainly no fool-proof way to be sure, but there are major things we can observe. Foster points out from the same passage we’ve been discussing (Matthew
1) We receive everything we have as a gift from God. “What we have is not the result of our labor, but of the gracious care of God.” How absent this spirit is from our society! How absent I find it in my own heart! We strive hard because we think we must provide everything for ourselves, not trusting God to take care of us. Then we have pride because we “earned what we have.” This is counter to seeking the kingdom.
2) We trust God to take care of and protect our possessions (and other things, ie. our reputation). When we are truly seeking the kingdom, we know that our Father will take care of everything else. We still can take normal precautions such as locking the door, but we know it’s ultimately God who cares for us. And if something should happen, which is certainly possible, we know that God will care for us even in that. We no longer fret over maintaining and protecting everything we have.
3) We have our goods (and ourselves) available to others. “If our goods are not available to the community when it is clearly right and good, then they are stolen goods. . . We cling to our possessions rather than sharing them because we are anxious about tomorrow.” When we no longer fear for our provision and protection, and entrust it to God, then we are free to share and give freely and generously.
(*These are taken from Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster)
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