Rethink Your Relationship with Stuff

Haley Stewart and her husband Daniel made the decision to move with their three young children from a cozy house in the suburbs to a 650 sq. ft. apartment with no flushing toilet on a working farm in central Texas for a year. In The Grace of Enough: Pursuing Less and Living More in a Throwaway Culture, she shares the lessons learned through that family adventure. As Brandon Vogt states in the Foreword, “Haley and her family model what it looks like for a modern family to live an intentional, radical Gospel lifestyle.”

Does what you buy make you happy? The world tells us that “happiness is within our grasp if we can only buy enough, acquire enough, achieve enough.” Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we will acknowledge that those things may bring momentary satisfaction, but don’t lead to lasting happiness. 

For the record, Stewart does not advocate that everyone should move to the country to live off the land. What she does argue for is living an intentional lifestyle, one in which the truly important aspects of life are prioritized.

Some of those aspects are family togetherness, embracing simplicity, nurturing a love for the Lord, rediscovering beauty, making home a priority, eating leisurely meals with friends, extending holy hospitality, rebuilding our communities, using the internet for good, and choosing hope in a dark world.

Each chapter ends with practical ways to find “the grace of enough” in our own lives, regardless of our circumstances. A collection of reflection questions are useful for private or group use. 

While The Grace of Enough is primarily aimed at the millennial generation, those of any age can benefit by reflecting on one’s relationship with stuff, with other people, and with the environment.