One of the disciplines that will become a part of my life during Mission Year is simplicity. The Mission Year handbook explains it this way: "A lifestyle of simplicity challenges cultural values of individualism and materialism while helping you better relate to your neighbors from a position of humility and mutuality rather than power and privilege."
As I learned about Mission Year during the application process, I was excited about many of its facets. Simplicity was one of the most exciting. The Lord has been slowly working through many issues related to money, possessions, and insecurity in my life for a while. My brokenness in this area existed at many levels, and it has been a journey just untangling it all.
Like many people in our culture, I was caught up in image at a young age. Starting in fifth and sixth grade, I became obsessed with matching colors, name brands, and cool hair. It's funny to look at pictures now, but those early habits built deep insecurity into how I thought of myself. They began to have serious implications for all my social interactions. I constantly questioned and wondered how people perceived me. It wasn't until college that I realized I was dressing and styling, and then speaking and even leading, for everyone except myself.
A second layer of brokenness was the impact of the bargain-hunting culture. I became uncomfortable and unable to spend more than a certain amount of money on a single item of clothing, and I could never pass up a bargain sale if it presented itself at a time when I had money to spend. This seems like it would be a great setup, right? Unfortunately, it landed me with a bunch of clothes bought at great prices that I only half-way liked. You can imagine that so-so clothes and an obsession with image made for an unhappy person.
The Lord began untangling this brokenness last year during Lent, when I fasted my wardrobe. I wore only one pair of pants and two shirts for 40 days and took every moment of insecurity as an opportunity to pray. (And yes, I changed underwear and undershirts and socks.) This experiment in simplicity exposed so much in my life, helping me to become comfortable with dressing myself to express myself and spending a little more money on clothes that expressed me well.
I was inspired to write because today I took three trash bags full of clothes to Goodwill, another exercise in simplicity. Returning home for the summer revealed how much stuff I have: all that I had taken to school plus all that I had left at home. Usually I can just store parts of my wardrobe for the summer, but coming home without the expectation of going back to Emory has forced me to purge. I purged items that were the wrong size or an outdated style but also a couple of items I really like, just to break my attachment.
Looking ahead to September and Mission Year, I expect this is just the beginning of my journey with simplicity. But like I said, I couldn't be more excited about that! Who can pass up the bargain of trading in brokenness and insecurity for restoration identity?
As I learned about Mission Year during the application process, I was excited about many of its facets. Simplicity was one of the most exciting. The Lord has been slowly working through many issues related to money, possessions, and insecurity in my life for a while. My brokenness in this area existed at many levels, and it has been a journey just untangling it all.
Like many people in our culture, I was caught up in image at a young age. Starting in fifth and sixth grade, I became obsessed with matching colors, name brands, and cool hair. It's funny to look at pictures now, but those early habits built deep insecurity into how I thought of myself. They began to have serious implications for all my social interactions. I constantly questioned and wondered how people perceived me. It wasn't until college that I realized I was dressing and styling, and then speaking and even leading, for everyone except myself.
A second layer of brokenness was the impact of the bargain-hunting culture. I became uncomfortable and unable to spend more than a certain amount of money on a single item of clothing, and I could never pass up a bargain sale if it presented itself at a time when I had money to spend. This seems like it would be a great setup, right? Unfortunately, it landed me with a bunch of clothes bought at great prices that I only half-way liked. You can imagine that so-so clothes and an obsession with image made for an unhappy person.
The Lord began untangling this brokenness last year during Lent, when I fasted my wardrobe. I wore only one pair of pants and two shirts for 40 days and took every moment of insecurity as an opportunity to pray. (And yes, I changed underwear and undershirts and socks.) This experiment in simplicity exposed so much in my life, helping me to become comfortable with dressing myself to express myself and spending a little more money on clothes that expressed me well.
I was inspired to write because today I took three trash bags full of clothes to Goodwill, another exercise in simplicity. Returning home for the summer revealed how much stuff I have: all that I had taken to school plus all that I had left at home. Usually I can just store parts of my wardrobe for the summer, but coming home without the expectation of going back to Emory has forced me to purge. I purged items that were the wrong size or an outdated style but also a couple of items I really like, just to break my attachment.
Looking ahead to September and Mission Year, I expect this is just the beginning of my journey with simplicity. But like I said, I couldn't be more excited about that! Who can pass up the bargain of trading in brokenness and insecurity for restoration identity?
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