Over the last year an often unused word has crept into our
vocabulary: frugal. Given the present day economic situation, nearly everyone
is looking closely at how they spend their money. They are also looking at how
they can save their money. At the heart of this search is the presence of what
we value. In Saturday’s paper there was an article about the ‘new frugality’.
The headline read: New frugality does not mean cheap.
Cheapskates are not very fun to be around. Frugal people are people who
understand what is valuable and place their resources, energy and heart in
those places. Cheapskates hoard things in fear of a rainy day. Frugal people
clear away the clutter of what is not needed to make room for what brings them
joy, what sustains their spirit, what provides for their future. It is an
important distinction, I believe.
It is a simple room that looks out over a lake. The room has everything I need:
bed, comfortable chairs, a desk, lovely lighting, warm blankets, running water,
heat, a shower and toilet. Most necessities. But throughout the retreat
center there is an attention to beauty that feeds the soul. These surroundings
do not represent the work of those looking to pinch a penny but of people who
know what is valuable. There are plenty of books and the silence to read and
digest them. There is good food and plenty of it, fresh fruit and home made
cookies are available all day. It is a frugal environment allowing guests to move
about in the beautiful simplicity to do what they need to do: pray, worship,
sleep, read, restore, connect with their own spirit and the Spirit.
times in which we live. I know people who are struggling desperately and see even more that I don’t know who arrive at our church doors needing help to navigate these confusing times of more need and less financial resources. But
I do think these times have the gift, if we accept it, of helping us see what
we truly value. They can provide us with the opportunity to structure our lives
around those values, allowing us to let go of many of the extraneous wants that
can distract us from what we know to be important, beautiful.
you living your life, arranging your days around those values and needs? What
creative ways might be nudging you to a new frugality? These are fascinating questions to ponder. Answering
them might lead to ways of living that would change us in ways we never
imagined.
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" Matthew 6:24-25