He Minimized His 'Stuff' and Maximized His Life

“How much is enough?”

Somebody asked John D. Rockefeller that once. His answer?

“Just a little bit more.”

I wonder if most of us secretly agree with him. We try to be content, but it’s hard with so many shiny things to choose from and advertisers convincing us of needs we didn’t know we even had. We’re easily lulled into believing that we could be happy if we had just a little bit more.

But how much is enough? How much is too much?

Some days I don’t feel like I’m overdoing it. Other days, I feel like I’m buried under stuff. And almost all of it requires some investment of my time and money either to repair, clean, or keep maintained.

It’s why you’ll occasionally find me out cleaning my garage on an otherwise beautiful Saturday afternoon. That’s what Joshua Becker was doing when he noticed something in the backyard that changed his life.

His 5-year-old son was playing on the swing set all by himself.

Alone time for a child isn’t all bad, but Joshua realized he was sacrificing time with his son for no other reason than so much of his “stuff” was demanding his time and attention and coming between him and the very things that brought him the deepest sense of purpose and joy.

That sent Joshua and his wife on a quest to change the quality of their lives by going through their home and reducing the amount of possessions possessing them. What did they find buried underneath it all? More time. More money. More energy. Less stress. And unexpectedly to both of them, more contentment, gratitude, and generosity within themselves.

They began to see that however God may be leading us to steward our possessions, He isn’t calling us to give up joy, happiness, or a sense of fulfillment in life. He’s leading us to a sense of joy and fulfillment that goes much deeper than how much stuff we can accumulate along the way.

Joshua Becker is with us today on our broadcast, “Simplifying Life, Living More Fully.” He’s sharing with us about what he and his family have learned on their journey to minimize their possessions. He’ll also explain the difference between frugality and minimalism, how to own stuff without allowing it to own you, and how to embrace minimalist principles when your spouse wants nothing to do with it.

Join us on your local radio station, online, or on our free phone app. Joshua is the author of the book “The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own.”