We moved as a family of 7 into 400 sq ft!
The abundant life of living with less
For the next four weeks I am diving deep into our minimalistic lifestyle and how it has opened up the holy space of decluttering my home, heart, and mind. I would love to hear your thoughts and journey together as I invite you a little closer to something that has been so life-giving to my family. I pray it is a blessing to you.
I’ve been pretty quiet about our minimalistic lifestyle over the years.
Honestly, I’m a huge fan of the concept of minimalism but not a fan of calling myself a minimalist. I’m not looking for labels. I’m not looking for that “thing” to share my hacks with the world—I’m just looking to live a simple, intentional life with myself, family, and God.
When we were in the throes of grief years ago, we stepped into this lifestyle to simplify our outward life, so we had the margin to gaze at our inward souls in a more intentional way. It’s been such a life-giving space for me and my family, that I’ve held it close to my heart as a precious treasure—a surprising gift that I wasn’t expecting, nor did I think I need.
I’ve been reading a treasure hunting book with my kids this summer1, and my 10-year-old has told me that if he finds the treasure, he will keep some of it and give the rest away. Oh the lessons we’re invited into with our children’s words. So here I am, holding my treasure out to you—offering a piece of what I feel like is worth way more than gold.
Minimalism isn’t the answer—but living simply within the means of our inward and outward lives invites us into a space to be present with ourselves, Jesus, and those around us.
We just moved as a family of 7 into a 42 ft long, 400 sq ft RV to travel around the U.S. full-time in.
Yes, it is possible.
Yes, my kids all have beds.
Yes, they all still have lots of toys.
Yes, we all brought books.
Yes, we can all fit around the table and sit on the couch to watch movies.
Yes, I still own sentimental things.
Yes, this was our choice.
When we entered into decluttering in the fall of 2021 (this has always been something we’ve entered into as a family, but today I’m sharing from my perspective) I was sad, exhausted from life, and always overwhelmed. At the time, there were MANY factors at play in various parts of my life that led to these feelings, but as I looked around at my American Dream home, while longing for my home back overseas—I knew there had to be more. Buying a large house, and filling it with stuff couldn’t be the answer. Having a huge yard to have all the yard toys both for kids and adults, couldn’t be all there was to this life. Having full closets and overflowing toy bins couldn’t be the end goal.
I just kept noticing this uneasy feeling that would rise in me as I’d click “Buy Now” and said purchased item would show up at my door within hours. Our fast-moving, always needing more life just wasn’t fulfilling me. My home felt overwhelming as did my inward soul. So that’s when the journey began and it’s only grown (or shrunk) from there.
What began as decluttering of an outward space, turned into years journeying through inward spaces that were too full—there was very little room to breathe, much less make space for silence with God.
So I went through each room, physically and metaphorically.
I assessed what was taking up space in these rooms, both in my home and heart. I held each thing up to the Light, wondering if it was worth holding onto or not—most of the time it wasn’t.
There were things that were hard to get rid of. They had history and held so much weight in my life. The memories it held bore deep into my soul. These things, at first notice, were picked up and then slid back in the cupboard—not ready to be parted with it yet. When I was ready though, I’d bring it back out, holding gratefulness for what it was in my life for when I needed it, but now—it was time to say, “Thank You” and let it go.
To live minimally doesn’t mean you have to get rid of all your possessions. On the contrary, it means you get to fill your life with things that matter the most.
There are many definitions of a “minimalist” floating around out there, but one of my favorites is from Joshua Becker. He describes minimalism as, “The intentional promotion of the things we value most by removing anything that distracts us from them”2.
Another great invitation to minimalism that pertains to our souls is from one of my favorite authors, Emily P. Freeman, as she regularly writes about making space for the things that matter in our lives. She writes,
In the same way a minimalist might ask What am I holding on to?, a soul minimalist asks What has a hold on me?
What are we promoting so highly in our lives that its grip is holding us from living the life we desire?
The answer to that question will be different for each of us. That is the beauty of living minimally—it looks differently for every single person. There is no right or wrong answer and no better or worse path to choose. Living minimally will also look different in various seasons of life as as well.
You get to choose what you want to promote in your life, home, and soul. You get to experience God’s smile on you along the way.
So, if you’re interested in beginning the journey—you get to decide when and how you begin.
You can start anywhere.
You can take it slow, or do larger purges.
It’s the work of our hearts that matters at the end of the day—not the number of possessions you own.
Come along with me, this month, and lets journey together—being gentle noticers of our lives, and what we allow to enter our homes and hearts.
We will hold immense kindness for ourselves along the way, knowing that we are all on the same journey of life—but each hold our own unique path.
May we remember that God’s presence is always near and holds more grace that we can imagine.
May we kindly take a deep inhale and exhale as we look around our homes and lives and begin to assess what may no longer belong.
May we invite others along the way with us, as this life was never meant to be journeyed alone.
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For real, this is an AWESOME book.
He has several books on this subject and they’re all great! They hold a great balance of practically application with minimizing, and the rooted beliefs and thoughts behind how we live.
Your family (and your home) is just beautiful. Thank you for sharing this. Looking forward to more!
The van is beautiful! Looking forward to hearing of your adventures!