Materialism run amuck
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Nope, this isn't a post about our culture. Or America's insatiable appetite for stuff. Or any of that.
It's about me. And my heart.
I love stuff. I love that I can get free books from publishers to write reviews. I love that I'm part of Amazon's reviewer program, which has provided me with hundreds of dollars worth of products for the cost of nothing but my written review. I love that other vendors who have been willing to partner with me simply because I am willing to share my opinions.
I love the new winter coat I just bought on sale, in part because it's cute and in part because my old winter coat was a couple sizes too big and let in icy air. I love homeschool supplies, and - even though I'm only certain that we're homeschooling through preschool - I could have happily purchased every item in the local homeschool supply store here. I love owning DVDs, even though I rarely watch any of them other than my Gilmore Girls series. I love shoes, and I can get pouty when the joints in the lower half of my body limit me to nothing but Crocs.
I love stuff.
Which is exactly why I knew that the book Unstuff by Hayley & Michael DiMarco would be a good one for me to read.
And while I certainly don't intend to sell everything we own to tour homeless shelters from a tiny RV for three months like the DiMarcos did, my life could use some unstuffing. One of the first statements that grabbed me was this: "the truth is that it put our concern for stuff over our concern for people." While my house doesn't resemble this statement right now, it is not uncommon for my desire to have an orderly house to motivate me to ignore my kids. It's not really neglect, but it's not an attitude that esteems my love for them over my love for stuff.
On Facebook (ironically) I posted a link to http://www.thelogoff.org/ It's cute. And witty. And a wee bit convicting. Because the truth is that I love my online stuff too. Sometimes I love reading anonymous people's thoughts on blogs more than I like interacting with people outside of the interwebs. Because you know what? Online, I can close the window if it gets too messy. In real life, I have to deal with it in a more mature way than that. In a more Jesus-like way.
Another good tidbit: "If you're feeling overworked, there's a good chance it's a sign of stuffing." I work hard to manage emails and blogs and tweets and laundry and dishes and food and sewing supplies and toys and... Really? Is stuff what I worship? No, but does how I spend my time and my energy show that? *gulp* sometimes.
The book does talk about debt and all that, but it doesn't shine as much there as it does when it's addressing other symptoms of overstuffing. Like this: "The sin of overwork is seen in things like worry, fear, anger, bitterness, lack of time for God, lack of time for family, and lack of time for rest." (If you do want a good read about money stuffing, Money & Marriage by Matt Bell is a great one that I reviewed here.)
My one criticism of this book is that it hits so much that it doesn't dive deep in many places. I don't think that's a bad thing, though, because it's still powerful and convicting. Every Christian book doesn't have to read like a seminary text to point us to God and His Word.
And thanks to Tyndale for providing this book for my review. They didn't ask for a positive review, just an honest one. And thanks, also, to them for giving me another structural member for my bookshelves, because they are so overloaded at this point that I stack books in them in such a way that the books themselves support the weight of the other books because the shelves are beyond their limits. It's handy that my husband is a structural engineer, huh?
It's about me. And my heart.
I love stuff. I love that I can get free books from publishers to write reviews. I love that I'm part of Amazon's reviewer program, which has provided me with hundreds of dollars worth of products for the cost of nothing but my written review. I love that other vendors who have been willing to partner with me simply because I am willing to share my opinions.
I love the new winter coat I just bought on sale, in part because it's cute and in part because my old winter coat was a couple sizes too big and let in icy air. I love homeschool supplies, and - even though I'm only certain that we're homeschooling through preschool - I could have happily purchased every item in the local homeschool supply store here. I love owning DVDs, even though I rarely watch any of them other than my Gilmore Girls series. I love shoes, and I can get pouty when the joints in the lower half of my body limit me to nothing but Crocs.
I love stuff.
Which is exactly why I knew that the book Unstuff by Hayley & Michael DiMarco would be a good one for me to read.
And while I certainly don't intend to sell everything we own to tour homeless shelters from a tiny RV for three months like the DiMarcos did, my life could use some unstuffing. One of the first statements that grabbed me was this: "the truth is that it put our concern for stuff over our concern for people." While my house doesn't resemble this statement right now, it is not uncommon for my desire to have an orderly house to motivate me to ignore my kids. It's not really neglect, but it's not an attitude that esteems my love for them over my love for stuff.On Facebook (ironically) I posted a link to http://www.thelogoff.org/ It's cute. And witty. And a wee bit convicting. Because the truth is that I love my online stuff too. Sometimes I love reading anonymous people's thoughts on blogs more than I like interacting with people outside of the interwebs. Because you know what? Online, I can close the window if it gets too messy. In real life, I have to deal with it in a more mature way than that. In a more Jesus-like way.
Another good tidbit: "If you're feeling overworked, there's a good chance it's a sign of stuffing." I work hard to manage emails and blogs and tweets and laundry and dishes and food and sewing supplies and toys and... Really? Is stuff what I worship? No, but does how I spend my time and my energy show that? *gulp* sometimes.
The book does talk about debt and all that, but it doesn't shine as much there as it does when it's addressing other symptoms of overstuffing. Like this: "The sin of overwork is seen in things like worry, fear, anger, bitterness, lack of time for God, lack of time for family, and lack of time for rest." (If you do want a good read about money stuffing, Money & Marriage by Matt Bell is a great one that I reviewed here.)
My one criticism of this book is that it hits so much that it doesn't dive deep in many places. I don't think that's a bad thing, though, because it's still powerful and convicting. Every Christian book doesn't have to read like a seminary text to point us to God and His Word.
And thanks to Tyndale for providing this book for my review. They didn't ask for a positive review, just an honest one. And thanks, also, to them for giving me another structural member for my bookshelves, because they are so overloaded at this point that I stack books in them in such a way that the books themselves support the weight of the other books because the shelves are beyond their limits. It's handy that my husband is a structural engineer, huh?