The Making of a Rebel

Rebel with a Cause

It’s amazing how Chris and I keep coming back to this idea of simplifying. I’m grateful that we’re reaching toward this goal together, as opposed to one of us dragging the other along. As much as we’ve tried to be content in our suburban life, there has been this desire to rebel against it that seems to be getting louder. We’ve never been rebels. Never! We didn’t even rebel as teenagers, a time when rebellion is forgiven, even expected. We were the responsible ones. We did what we believed to be right. We attended a good university. Joined clubs. Volunteered. Pursued careers. Got married. Enjoyed DINK-dom (double income, no kids). Bought a starter home. Sold that home. Bought a bigger home. Embraced our first child. Pursued new careers. Got more education. Welcomed our second child. And, basically, enjoyed all the beauties and tragedies that come with life. And yet, the further we go down this path, the more we question whether it’s truly right for our family.

I keep asking myself what I want from this journey toward simplification. The answer isn’t easy. I want time. I want my to-do list to go down to those things that truly matter. I want to stop maintaining things that mean nothing to me.  I want to enjoy an adventure with those most precious to me. I want to teach my children to take chances. I want to show them that that stuff is temporary but memories are forever. I want to teach them that they don’t have to be worker bees. They can pursue their dreams and callings. They can be their own bosses, and if they don’t like something in their lives, they’re the only ones who can change it.

Are we the only ones who feel this way? I don’t think so. I recently spoke to a friend, a 20-something at-home mother of two. She expressed the thoughts that I’ve had myself. “How did I get here?” Better yet, “how did we get here?” With time, she’s watched the adventurous part of her husband fade. She’s seen her own free spirit begin to die as she’s tried to embrace suburbia. I listened to her, and I understood. Boy, did I understand. Does she love her husband? Yes. Does she love her children? Of course. Does she love what suburbia is turning her into? Not really.

So where does that leave me, my friend and the rest of us who want to live life free from the restraints of suburbia? It leaves us needing to make a change. A change that I believe makes God smile. A change that says, “I’m going to stop going along with the crowd. I’m going to pursue what God has put in me.” So here we go.

Tags: getting started, thoughts