I’m feeling better. Praise Jesus!
I was living a minimalist nightmare. Too much stuff. Too much space. For too much money.
You see…my husband and I were buying a house. “Were” being the key word. A spacious, three-bedroom, two-bath, two-car-garage house with a beautiful tree as the centerpoint of the backyard.
It scared me to death. I couldn’t breathe. Yes, I want our own space. Yes, I want a nice house so we could have friends over. But, do I want the “American dream” of home ownership?
No.
For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 (HCSB)
Why is it that we think we need all this space? What do we really need to survive? To LIVE? Truly live? I don’t want to work every day for the rest of my life to pay for a house because that is what I’m told I’m supposed to want to do.
Ridiculous. When did this start? When did “keeping up with the Joneses” become the death of society and individuality?
What makes you happy? Truly happy? From the core happy? Do it.
I’ve been freaked out since we started this process. So after months of prayer, uncertainty, and a strained marriage that has never been strained, we decided to go back to our simple living ways and renovate where we are.
PRAISE JESUS! I can breathe again! Everything is better. My life is better. My marriage is fantastic. My God is awesome!
So, now after months of trying to be happy living this so-called American dream that stresses me out and gives me migraines, I am back on the simple-living track God designed for me.
Our plan is to divide our current three-bedroom home into a duplex — one side becoming a one-bedroom apartment for Mom, while the other side will become a two-bedroom, one bath home complete with a new, minimalist, full kitchen.
All the house we need. When I was praying, I kept going back in my heart to places that are simple — tiny homes, house boats, converted buses. Radical homes. Obscure homes. Homes that are by no means the norm.
Homes that are more me and my husband.
We are definitely not the norm. And, now we can relax and live the life we dreamed. And, have time and the means to camp, go on missions trips — and most importantly — breathe.
We are already moving furniture around, and we perused my minimalist paradise on Saturday. (That’s IKEA for all you non-minimalist out there.) 😉
We have a lot of changes coming up over the next few months, and I plan to document every one. Stay tuned and check back often. If you’d like updates, please sign up for my email alerts and my writing will come straight to your inbox.
Praise God for His glory, His simple abundance, and for Him always making a way and answering our prayers.
To God be the glory,
~Bohemian Christian Chelle
Christ-following Minimalist 