Everyone we know is trying to break a bad habit.  We have had our own faults for so long we have become quite comfortable with most of them.  One habit that has been particularly hard to break is the desire to acquire more things.  However, in recent years we have been trying to embrace Henri Nouwen’s idea of “downward mobility.”  Basically, his idea is that, as Christians, having less allows us the freedom to do more and become more for Christ.  We don’t have to look far to find things we don’t need.  After more than forty years of marriage and four children, we tell people that our home is like an archeological dig.  The most recent layers are on top and we have ancient artifacts buried in the bottom layers in the basement closets.  For heaven’s sake, how on earth are we to go about simplifying our lives?

We have been cleaning out closets and passing on mementoes to our children.  As we rid ourselves of goods, we have also become aware of the clutter that stunts our spiritual growth.  There are too many meetings to attend, too much fast food for meals as well as an endless variety of videos to watch when, too tired to think for ourselves, we collapse in our recliners.

Downward mobility means letting go of our need to create more income, acquire more stuff, and be all things to all organizations.  In this second half of life, we have found that our priorities have changed.  Often, we enjoy nothing more than quiet conversation and peace at the end of the day.

At a recent meeting, Jim sat back and observed a young man who spoke with great passion about his plans to attain lofty goals.  Jim recalled feeling this same passion to accomplish great things some twenty years ago.  While he admired his young colleague’s enthusiasm, Jim realized he no longer shared the young man’s ambitions.  The need to achieve great dreams and amass a fortune along the way had been replaced with gratitude for all that we have and a deep appreciation for our ordinary daily opportunities.

It has taken us a long time to come to this place where we are ready to embrace the idea of letting go as a way of becoming more.  We are finding that letting go of anything that no longer serves our true priorities gives us a sense of fresh adventure and unlimited horizons.  This new freedom is sometimes a little frightening, but we are finding that living with downward mobility leads to higher ground.