Simplicity And Stewardship

Here's a little something I've been mulling over lately:

How do I balance simplicity with stewardship? Let me explain. A while back we read a book in Bible study called Celebration of Disciplines. It was written by Richard Foster and I remember that it was a very life-challenging book. The discipline I most remember is the one of simplicity. The more 'stuff' we own the more complicated our lives become. We acquire things, thinking they will make our lives easier or less stressful, but in reality they eat up time and resources. I find myself in this particular cycle with all things computer and camera related. We bought a nice video camera but we don't have the right computer tools to get our videos to DVD format. We have a good camera, but I haven't read the manual yet to learn all the settings. We have a relatively new computer, but it takes a lot of time to load video or pictures and sort them into folders, label them, upload to Kodak or Facebook, and decide what I want to have printed. Digital photography is awesome, but it does come as a bit of a time zapper. Each new 'toy' carries a theme of simplifying something, but it really doesn't.

A car takes more upkeep and care than a bike. An RV more than a car. A big house takes more effort to clean than a small one. Two houses are harder to keep in line than one. Not to mention the tax complications. More stuff means a more complicated life. There's something to be said for simplicity.

However, I also know that when God blesses us financially we need to be wise with our money. I'm just not sure what God's idea of financial stewardship looks like exactly...other than not being frivolous.


My specific struggle with all of this comes as we begin the closing procedures on an investment property. Certainly not an act of simplicity! It has and will require much from us. We will need to find a renter, learn how to manage a property, discern the right time to sell, and of course, it definitely complicates the taxes. On the other hand, it is a sound investment. Assuming we do find a renter, we will make money and have invested wisely. All investments require risk and this is no exception.

Simplicity and Stewardship. I'm looking for a way to intertwine the two, not leaning too heavily on either, but rather blending them into our Christian lives. How's that for something to think on?