I watched a documentary called “Tiny Living” on Netflix the other day; it stirred me.
From the film: “We are encouraged as a culture to consume more, to have more, to feel better about ourselves when we have more, and to feel good when we go out and buy things; and we are not encouraged to think of the whole cycle of what that means. Living small interrupts that cycle.”
It’s a vicious cycle, really. When we consume, it’s not just a product we consume. We are consuming materials. Where do those materials come from? The earth. And where do those materials go when we are done with them? Back to the earth. Do we care about what happens to the earth when the materials return to it? That’s the question.
It matters how we consume. The bible says to “govern” the earth and “rule” over it (Genesis 1:28-30). I have kids, so I hear a lot about mean kings or queens who abuse their governing or ruling power in movies or fairy tales. But what does it look like for us to abuse power? I don’t think its black or white. Living smaller means something different to each of us. We all have areas in our lives where we can live smaller.
Just as we have a responsibility toward loving and caring for one another, we also have a responsibility to care for the earth (they go hand in hand). God uses the earth to nourish us. So we’re actually caring for ourselves and each other when we’re mindful of how we consume the earth and are transformed into healthier, more conscious and grateful people in the process (disciples of Jesus).
What do we consume and how much? How many pairs of shoes do I own? How many paper towels do I throw out a day? How many diapers do I throw into a landfill? How long do I leave water running? How many pounds of meat do I eat a week? What kinds of foods do I encourage industry to sell? How much fuel does my car or truck consume? Do I need to use this much?
Living small doesn’t necessarily mean downsizing our home (although it might for some). There are small, simple things we can each do to interrupt that cycle like use a kitchen towel instead of paper towels, replace two meals with meat for a vegetarian style meal (cows and chickens take up acres of space and give off tons of carbon from their waste), choose organic when possible and so on…
We have a huge responsibility. Let’s continue thinking about our personal impact on our surroundings. I think God calls us to it, for each other’s sake.
Amen! It is a different level of responsibility we are are also accountable for.
Check out the Vineyard Justice Network….tending creation. 🙂 It is one of the three major themes. the other two are ending poverty and freeing the slaves. All 3 are interconnected. It’s very fascinating and inspiring to make changes.
I’ve seen that documentary on Netflixs. It’s great! There is a whole “movement” of people who don’t believe in working all the time for a house they are never in because they work too much. I find myself thinking of all of the things in our home that I haven’t even looked at in over a year, even two years, that could serve a better purpose for someone else, or simply allow me to declutter our life if I were to simplify. There is an interesting balance between wanting to be prepared/frugal and becoming consumed by consumerism. All I need to do now is find the time, motivation, and strength to simplify.
In regards to making choices on what and how we eat, I found a great food co-op that we are trying out for the first time this week. If anyone wants to check it out here is the website: http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/