Less is More {#oneword2014}

I know I promised to share on my One Word for 2014 ages ago - but goodness is that first week of school pedal-to-the-metal right away!

Match that with a bunch of custom orders coming into Freedom Creations... you get the picture. January (and February) are just like September and October - and unexpected New Year's rush of everything happening all at once.

And so here I am forcing myself to tap this out on the keys, even with things still on the to-do list, because with exams coming up, I'm not gonna have a spare moment unless I force myself to.

And it's just so ironic because my One Word for 2014?

Less.

There are many ways I'm interpreting this word this year, but it comes down to this:

Less stuff in my life for more room for Jesus. 

Simple enough, right?

Not a less that ends in less - but a radical less that leaves room for more of what's really important. 

Less, so I can give more to the fewer things in my life.

I think I'll break it down into three lesses - 

Less stuff.

I'm realizing that if I really do want to spend my life serving and living amongst the least of these, the materialistic culture that I've grown up in is going to be very far away. And I need to get used to living with less - even if I have more. We'll see how this comes into serious practice, but I'm seeing a closet clean-out in my near future, for starters. Perhaps trying to buy lunch only twice a month instead of once a week. De-cluttering [my mom just cheered through weeping thankfulness. ;)]. Seriously asking myself this before I spend/keep/take/get: Is it a need (like a basic human-right need, not a I-need-a-treat need)? Does it build something eternal (a relationship, a soul, joy, etc.)? I already try do this "less" already - but I'm excited to get more intentional about it.

Less distraction.

How many things distract me from the eternal? Like a lot. Like getting to band practice on-time, getting 100% (as opposed to 98% - because the extra two percent is totally gonna make or break my life, right?) on my math test, like worrying about things that don't quite matter. And as it is with stuff, I also need to ask questions about how I spend my time: Is is a need? Does it build something eternal?

Less me.

And this is basically what it comes down to. I'm not really that big of a deal. In fact, I'm more messed up than I'd ever be willing to admit, and there's my first flaw right there - perfectionism. And the Creator of the universe offers to take over my flawed life and all I have to do is step aside and this is what it comes down to: Less me. More Jesus. I considered humble as my One Word for 2014. I ended up deciding that less captured more of my thoughts - but humble is definitely a huge part of less. Less trying to make myself look perfect. Less worrying about myself. More working for His Kingdom. Because that is really what I want need this life to be about - building something eternal.

So here goes nothing. 

I so get how this word could get misinterpreted - less = sitting around doing nothing/resting, right?

No way - less = more room for Jesus to do those absolutely crazy, radical things he does.

Live simply so others can simply live? Yes - but live is still a huge part of that saying. Live. Live. Live.

And so I am looking forward to living a radically less-is-more year.


He must become greater; I must become less. - John 3:30