Minimalist Us - One Year Later

Almost a year ago, we had a moment as a family when we realized something had to change. We prayed, sought direction through scripture and counsel, and made a choice. Our lives have changed so much in this past year. Our home is becoming more clutter-free and less time consuming to maintain, our spending has been transformed, but more than all of this, our hearts and family dynamic have been the most dramatically changed. We knew we needed to make a change a year ago, and we knew that the process would be slow and continual, but we did not realize how deeply it would touch every area of our lives, both prominent and obscure.  Though the application has been difficult, and the journey has filled with good and bad days, we wouldn't change it for anything. 

We set out to free our hearts from the trap of worldly materialistic living. We wanted to get rid of idols, distractions, and temptations that were pulling our minds and hearts away from Christ. We wanted to change the way we thought and lived. We wanted our lives to reflect the presence of a Savior instead of a self-pleaser. We wanted God to be the center and deliberate thought in everything we decided as a family- in finances, food, and entertainment. We started making little changes, getting rid of little things, making little decisions about money, choosing to spend our time differently, eat differently and here we are today living a radically different life.

As we have moved and unpacked, we have donated more than we kept. Neither of us realized how much we saved and kept over the years that was nothing more than empty clutter. We have changed the way we thought about needs versus wants and found great joy in owning less, needing less, and wanting less. Our eating habits have changed completely, through simplifying, and going more natural. The need to be entertained diminishes everyday as we discover new ways to bond and relax as a family.

*We actually sold our Wii console, got rid of our Netflix subscription, and Alex sold his computer (games included) and haven't regretted a day of it.

While there is nothing wrong in owning things and finding joy in entertainment, we have discovered along this road that putting things like this away from us (even if just temporary) has actually forced us to be more honest with ourselves, each other, and focused on Jesus. We love our life with our family and hope to keep walking down this road together finding more ways to live more simply and focused on God, family, church and community.

The way we spend our money, and more importantly the way we think about our money has completely transformed. There is a part of us that wishes we could fly back in time and kick our younger selves in the butts when it came to the way we use to fritter away the resources God gave us. Our money is no longer our money, it's a tool that God gave us to live and serve the church with. It isn't about what we can afford or what we can do, it's about making sure that we use whatever we do have in the most effective way we can to live and serve God to the fullest. Unfortunately, this has probably proved to be one of the most frustrating areas we have had to work on...we have made so many mistakes, but God is gracious and merciful to us in-spite of our short comings. He is ever patient and invested in teaching us to be more like Him.

One of the biggest moments for us in this whole process was probably putting together our baby registry for little Evelyn (since we have to essentially start over). Our idea of needs versus wants and the contentment we have found in the small list was a huge testament as to how much our hearts have truly changed throughout this whole process. We have absolutely no desire to own things we don't need. If we can live comfortably without it, then we don't want it. We would rather invest our money, time and hearts into things that matter, such as: the body of Christ, date nights, teaching and raising our kids to be head over heels in-love with this incredible God we serve. We want our lives, home, and decision to reflect a family invested on becoming as Christ like as we can be and our hearts more and more consumed in Christ instead of this world.


This journey is not a one year project; its going to be a life time investment, intentional in attitude and lifestyle. It is a journey in which we will both rise and fall, but through it all continue to walk and pursue God with fervent hearts and faces pointed heavenward praying for God's leadership. If there is one thing that is true in this last year, it is that, without God; His direction and leadership, our efforts and practice would have left us as empty and hopeless as the day we began this road together. Nothing we have accomplished thus far, would have been possible apart from the work God has done in our hearts and continues to do as we go.

Our first year anniversary on this road is just a glimpse into the beautiful life God has in store for our constantly growing family.




With an Earnest Love,

Leah