It started with a story from a book. About a community that participated in an experiment. For everything they had two of, they gave one away. Like it says in Luke 3:11, “If you have two coats, give one away,” he said. “Do the same with your food.” As I began looking around, I realized I have way more than two coats. I have like 7.
Add on the fact I am moving yet again and despite having just moved a year ago, have accumulated quite a good bit of stuff. Granted I have spent very little on all that stuff-in fact, one of my favorite claims is I have an entire living room (TV, DVD player, entertainment center, two couches, a table, and a bookcase) I have spent zero dollars on. But as I began the process of packing up all my stuff yet again, I decided to put the Have 2 Give 1 experiment into practice and in cases where I could, get rid of, donate, sell, and simplify my life.
So I got rid of two huge boxes of clothes (and probably have some more to get rid of). I sold my washer and dryer, got rid of my TV and entertainment center, and a bunch of other stuff. I have made several trips to Goodwill and have decided to put myself on a strict spending budget.
It all sounded like a good idea. My apartment was emptying out and I was feeling more and more at ease every day. There is just something freeing about having less stuff. Until tonight I realized I want nothing more than to sit down and watch the Olympics. Every two years I brim with excitement over the games and would watch every minute if time allowed (according to NBC that would take 5 months). Not to mention the free Redbox code I have in my inbox and the list a mile long of movies I would like to watch. And then I realized I have two sets of very sweaty running clothes and no place to wash them.
Perhaps my gusto over simplifying went a little too far… or did it?
As I was sad for a moment about not being able to watch the Olympics, I realized perhaps the greatest gift in getting rid of everything is the beauty of embracing community. Now if I want to watch a movie, I have to find a friend with a TV. If I want to do my laundry in the next week and a half I may have to cart it somewhere. And I may end up having to wear the same outfit in a month (which is hardly something to complain about!). Oh and I am not done. I plan on continuing to get rid of and simplify as I move and as I dig deeper into what living life in community and living life in Christ really looks like. And I realize that looks different for different people. Is it wrong to have a lot of stuff? Well, not necessarily. But if you have a lot of stuff to simply say you have a lot of stuff what is the point? Are we not to be generous and giving? Do we really need to spend our money on the latest fashion, Apple device, or big screen TV? If I already have three coats, do I really need a fourth? How much more effective could the church be if we shared our possessions and used our excess to give and tithe and plant churches rather than increase the amount of toys and things we own? How much more rich would our lives be if we included others in our daily lives? If we opened our homes, our lives, and our possessions to those around us?
So I am inviting you to join me in an experiment. Your own experiment.
Maybe your experiment does look like getting rid of more-have2give1, or maybe your experiment looks like using what you have to invite others in. Maybe you are the person with a TV or a washer and dryer. For me, my experiment is to give 1 where I have 2, to de-clutter and to live life simply. Maybe for you, the experiment is to invite 2.
Regardless of what it looks like, I believe embracing and living in community has the potential to be the biggest game changer out there. Because deep down, I think most of us just want to be understood and included. We want someone to pay attention to us. Someone to take an interest in our story. Last time I checked, big TVs and fancy cars weren’t changing the world. What is going to change the world are groups of people living life together and deciding together to live that life differently. To have 2 and give 1. Or to invite the outcast in. To love instead of hate. To stand with instead of against. To embrace the meaning of life in the people around us instead of in the amount of stuff we own.
To experiment and to live life together.
