Consume less, ENJOY MORE!

Lately I've been thinking about consumerism, and I have come to ask myself the difficult question - do I consume too much? I mean, we all have to "consume" to live, there's no way around it and there never will be, but how much is too much?

I decided to make a mental list of all the things I have and my reasons for having them (i.e. necessity vs keeping up with trends vs personal expression), and I quickly discovered that my collection of "stuff" and "things" and "gadgets" is over-excessive and under-used - a very bad combination, if I do say so myself! To steal a page from Ariel in The Little Mermaid (my favorite Disney movie of all time, might I add!!!)...

(Insert music, ocean, cave of treasures, and a red-haird mermaid singing to herself)

Look at this stuff. Isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete? Wouldn't you think I'm the girl...the girl who has ev'rything? Look at this trove, treasures untold. How many wonders can one cavern hold? Lookin' around here you'd think, (sure) she's got everything. I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty. I've got whozits and whatzits galore. You want thingamabobs? I got twenty. But (we knew this was coming) who cares? No big deal...

I WANT MORE!!!!!!!

Then the music gets all dramatic and she swims up in a circle and...okay...I'll stop there, but you get my point!

So, after my little self discovery re overconsumption, I started to feel really personally convicted about it. And it wasn't just the fact I could see Japan from the top of my stuff mountain that was bothering me - no. It was the fact that even with everything I already had, I still felt the sense of wanting and needing more...I was still unsatisfied...and there was something really not right about that.

When did I stop being content with having what I need and a few perks here and there? And why is it that the feeling of "I just gotta have that!" seems to carry more weight than the still small voice inside saying "you have everything you need"?

Well, after giving it some thought and prayer I have come to two conclusions, which, of course, I am going to share with you....drum roll please....

So -the first conclusion - ITS A MATTER OF FAITH! Yes, yes it is!! I mean, its about having REAL faith that God understands the practicalities involved in being a human being, and I can live with complete confidence that all of my needs will be met by Him. Its sad that I forget that sometimes, very sad. I take great comfort in knowing that even when I am faithless in that area God continually comes through for me and clears the fog of my misplaced desires.

The second conclusion I came to, and perhaps the most freeing, is that I need to be CONSUMING LESS and ENJOYING MORE! Wow! Think about that one for a minute! Consume less, enjoy more? Consume less, enjoy more? (That's me immitating you thinking about it for a minute..hee hee).

Its a very simple concept, but it makes all the difference in the world if you really live by it. And the greatest thing about this concept is that it plays itself out differently for each person. You know what I'm talking about here...for you it might be that you used to go hiking on the weekends and now you find yourself at the mall. For someone else it might be that beautiful old guitar they used to enjoy playing that's now collecting dust under their beds while they spend hours downloading music for their iPod. For me, its those great recipe books I bought at grage sales and thrift stores sitting alone in my kitchen while Chris and I eat entirely boring "food" in front of the TV! Yuck!

I could persist with more examples, but the point is, we all have material and/or experiential things we could be enjoying more! I guarantee it!

This has been an area of oversight in my life which I am now doing something about, and the most wonderful thing of all is that in realizing what I already have, I automatically want for less - hence, the end of my overconsumption!

So, the most valuable thing we can all do today (or any day!) is ask ourselves the question, "What do I have in my life RIGHT NOW that I can enjoy more today?".

You get to take it from there!

This is Amber...sharing her thoughts with you once again!

Untill next time....

CONSUME LESS AND ENJOY MORE!!

Amber