Non-Materialistic Lifestyle

By the Rev. Glen Holmquist

Glenn Close, the actress, said this about her mother when she was interviewed for a magazine article:

"My mother, whom I absolutely adore, is completely non-materialistic and raised me to have, you know, one good dress and one good pair of shoes."

Well, what do you make of that? We don't hear much about that long word in that quote. In fact, it is not in my big up-to-date Webster's Dictionary. There are a lot of other "non" words in there, but non-materialistic didn't make it! I guess the word has no appeal or usage in our "gather and get" society.

How interesting that a silver-spoon child would remember that quality about her mother. Glenn's father was a Harvard-trained surgeon. She rode horses on her grandfather's 500-acre estate in Connecticut. You get the picture. The family wasn't on welfare!

She was impressed with her mother's non-materialistic attitude. Right now, I would be pressed to name relatives, acquaintances, associates, and friends who would fit the category.

To be completely non-materialistic sounds improbable, if not impossible. To desire, acquire, and accumulate seems so normal and natural. To want more, and then some more, is such an accepted human characteristic that we don't even think about it.

To be completely non-materialistic would put you in a pretty small group. You could even be alone in your circle of influence.

But, to be free of stuff, and the desire for more stuff, has a certain appeal. Do you agree? Even to be released from the chains of keeping up with society, its fads, and its styles would be a great gift.

If we could become "completely non-materialistic" as Glen Close remembers her mother, what would that mean? Would we live happier lives? Would we be stress free? Would we become more effective in our work? Would our sense of values improve? Could it simplify and improve our lifestyle?

As I re-read that list, it has good stuff. Who wouldn't want to be happier, stress free, more effective, have better values, and live more simply?

Unhindered by materialistic quests would not our minds then focus on more lasting values? Jesus had some very specific instructions about this issue. He obviously knew how easily we become attached to material things. Remember how those folks in the time of Moses got attached to golden idols?

Well, Jesus says it straight in Matthew 6:19-21. It was in his Sermon on the Mount.

So, if we work at becoming "completely non-materialistic" we have a better chance at treasures that don't rust, wear out, or get stolen.

I’m for that. Are you?

The Rev. Glen Holmquist wrote this for the Spring 1995 edition of Faith in Action. He retired after serving for 12 years as Assistant to the Bishop, Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Synod, and 10 years on the regional stewardship staff of the Lutheran Church in America.


 © Copyright 1995, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
This essay first appeared in the Spring 1995 issue of Faith in Action. Articles in Faith in Action may be reproduced for use in ELCA and ELCIC congregations provided each copy carries the note:
© Copyright 1995, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Reprinted with permission.