I have been doing some reading about simplicity.

You might know that Steve Jobs had a very limited wardrobe. He routinely wore a black turtleneck sweater from Issey Miyake, Levi’s 501 blue jeans and New Balance sneakers. Apparently, Einstein only owned several versions of the same grey suit. Zuckerberg prefers grey t-shirts and President Obama wore only grey or blue suits.

These guys didn’t have a limited budget. But they did believe that they had limited time and they wanted to conserve their mental energy for things that really matter. For them, choosing an outfit for the day seemed like a waste of mental resources.

In part, this kind of thinking comes from an attempt to live a simpler lifestyle. It’s the idea of removing things that do not add value to our lives. It is “choosing to leverage time, money, talents and possessions toward what matters most.” It’s the effort to stop trying to stuff too much junk into too small of a space (and we are not just talking about closets!).

In Luke 12:15, Jesus warns us to “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed,” as He emphasizes, “life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

You wouldn’t know that principle by looking around South County. The psalmist accurately describes our local culture in Psalm 39:6, when he said, “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom, in vain they rush about heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be.”

Ouch. That pursuit of THINGS isn’t the simple life, it isn’t a healthy life, and it isn’t a good life. That process of accumulating “stuff” makes us look like a silly tree squirrel that last week before winter as he scurries around shoving acorns into his tree house. (He usually has a mouthful too!)

Maybe this week, before we buy one more version of anything in our home, we should ask ourselves three questions. One, do I need it or want it? Two, is there a way to enjoy this thing without owning it? And three, does it add value to my life?

So…. I am thinking that grey t-shirts will go great with jeans and sneakers! Wanna start a trend with me?

(For some more convicting thoughts on simplicity take a look at John Mark Comer’s book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.)