Micki Current

++++ warning: long, wordy post about a book that changed my life. ++++

I’m not even sure where to begin with this changed heart of mine. I’ve had this wild beast of unrest building a nice little space of his own for a few years in my life.  A word nerd like myself is having a difficult time matching the emotions I’ve been having with an accurate description.

About a month ago I finished (devoured) Jen Hatmaker’s book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. The book is hilarious, both irreverent and reverent at the same time. I mean, there were real LOL moments for me. She wrote it in real-time (a la blog style) as she went through her “experiment.” The concept of Jen’s experiment is over seven months she takes seven areas and reduced to seven simple choices. The seven areas she chose to focus on were food, clothes, possessions, media, waste, spending, and stress. She wrote, “7 will be an exercise in simplicity with one goal to create space for God’s kingdom to break through. I approach this project in the spirit of a fast: an intentional reduction, a deliberate abstinence to summon God’s movement in my life” (4).

As I followed her journey and all the valuable wisdom she gained from her kooky experiment, I really rethought the important elements of my own life. What have I been placing above the truly meaningful stuff? Where was I being ungrateful, irresponsible, out of control or just plain selfish? My resources, my time, my emotions, my prayers, my money, my priorities…SELFISH. Jen’s story BORE into me, uprooting some deep convictions. I needed to read this book because it made me face the things that bother me about me.

I’m not trying to lay any guilt trips out there or say that you can’t enjoy the money you make or that you can’t treat yourself. And I’m not speaking of just where you invest your money. What do you prioritize? What do you spend your time worrying about (if you’re like me, it’s the DUMBEST, PETTIEST things…)? In what do you invest most of your time? Thanks to social media, we spend most of our time showing off our good times. (Again, guilty.) HOW ARE ALL OF THESE THINGS HELPING THE KINGDOM OF GOD? (Wow, cool down on the caps-yelling, Micki.)

I was entranced from page one of the book because I too crave boundaries. I’m a natural rule-follower and self-challenge-giver (official term right there). My Instagram friends know that for sure: #frugalfebruary, #marathontraining, #500milesin2012, #40daysofwater, #30daysofshred, #27before28, #nonailpolishboughtin2013. This girl loves to color inside the lines and create weird obscure restrictions for herself. Why have I not, though, been more mindful of creating margins that glorified the Lord and not myself?

We are a people of excess. We buy because we want. We live in houses, drive working cars, drink clean water and we are clothed – the sad thing is all of these rank us above most in the world. And I’m struggling lately with complacency in myself and everywhere I look – in my church, my friends, my family, my work environment. People only caring about themselves and their own interests. I definitely include myself in this very opinion-based statement. We’ve dug out a comfortable nook of “blessing the blessed” and no one wants to come out of the secure spot.

So, now I have the itch to do something radical. Troy just begged that I wouldn’t throw all his t-shirts out or tip the TV over in a whim of anti-media craziness. I’m antsy, though, to keep pursing this stirring feeling of emptying myself in order for Him to fill me. The beast of unrest has experienced an awakening.

If you’ve ever heard of the One Little Word movement, a challenge made by blogger/scrapper Ali Edwards, then you know she picks one word every January to focus on over the year. The word can have a big meaning in your life or it can be a big way of challenging your year. I chose “SIMPLIFY” this year. I complicate things in so many ways and in so many areas of my life. Keep it simple, stupid, right? I get in my own way too often and leave little to no space for God to work. I supported The Giving Keys project and commemorated my One Little Word with this necklace. Check out The Giving Keys – an awesome cause, supporting those in need of an employment. Oh, and you know it plays very well with my key obsession.

Read Jen’s book, 7. That’s all. Seriously.