You’ve heard the saying, “less is more,” but how many of us actually believe this? When we examine our dreams, how often are they dreams for bigger realities as opposed to dreams for smaller ones?
When I refer to “less,” I am specifically referring both to material possessions and outward commitments. For sometimes having less in life or taking on fewer commitments opens us up to valuing what we do have and even makes more room for love of God.
During his earthly ministry, Jesus told a parable about a master who goes on a journey, entrusting talents of his property to his servants. In the end, he rewards the one who does what he can with what he has been given, saying: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master” (Mt 25:23, RSV).
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You have been faithful over a little. Jesus does not commend the servant for being faithful in many things but in a few things. This is a wonderful reminder when our culture (and, at times, ourselves) tells us we need to constantly be doing more. This is not to say we should never desire more in life, but we must begin from a place of gratitude and faithfulness with how we first view our current reality.
Learning to love the ‘little’
When I was newly married, I dreamed of buying and moving into our first house. I figured our “short stint” of apartment living would last for a year or two at most. Now, more than three years later, we are still living in that same apartment with no immediate sign on the horizon of buying a house anytime soon.
At first I was frustrated, but I’m beginning to lean into the beauty of “the little house” where we reside. Barely reaching 1,000 square feet, with two small bedrooms, a kitchen and living room, this little house can still be a home. In fact, I have more time to appreciate each part of the apartment — less to clean and fewer items to buy in order to fill the space. I am less bogged down by material possessions, and I can spend more time appreciating what’s already there instead of striving for more of what isn’t. Each space has a theme and a purpose, and I’ve come to be thankful for this place we call home, knowing that living in its external littleness has allowed my internal space for God to grow bigger.
Making room for God
St. Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians: “I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself, to be self-sufficient. I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need” (Phil 4:11-12).
If you’ve ever watched the hit TV series “Little House on the Prairie” with young Laura Ingalls and her family in the big acre woods of Walnut Grove, then you’ll recall their home was physically small on the outside but bursting with love on the inside. Having less humbles you and prevents you from relying too much on your own strength or ability to provide for yourself. Taking on less allows you to devote greater quality and attention to the commitments you do have — including to God — instead of spreading yourself thin and only being somewhat present to each person or event before you.
As women in the 21st-century, the message often portrayed by society and the media is that we can be anything and do anything. Women are encouraged to strive for grander existences, but the simpler life isn’t always the worse one. Instead, God treasures a simple and receptive heart. A cluttered and busy heart or home is harder for him to take up his residence in, because where would he even stand?
Make your heart and home a beautiful space for God to dwell, not filled with so much that he cannot claim central space.
