On Treasures: Thoughts from Sleeping in a Car

This past weekend, I went camping with some WestC Hubsters (our not-so-small group is referred to as a “hub.” Hubs are formed regionally, so ours is the West Central Hub, hence WestC Hubsters). On a lovely and sunny Friday evening, we packed up all our gear, and headed to Yellowstone. Lake, that is. Not THE Yellowstone. Just Yellowstone Lake.

I was asked to bring in the later carpool, as we had a couple people who couldn’t leave until later in the evening. We arrived by about 9:00pm to a camp that was already set up for us. Fantastic! Not having to put up tents in the dark made me quite the happy camper. We unloaded all our gear, got ourselves settled in, and sat down for a night of guitar and djembe (it’s been a while since I’ve played my djembe – felt good!) and chatting around the fire. It was a great way to start off the camping trip…

And then, the lightning and the thunder came. And then, buckets of rain.

Now, keep in mind… I absolutely adore thunderstorms. They may be one of my most favorite things in creation. However, when you suddenly find that there’s a lake in your tent at 1:00am, they tend to not be as fun to have around. Our tent ended up having a massive amount of water in one of the corners. Because we didn’t really know what other options we had, I gave my mostly-dry sleeping bag to the girl who had previously been sleeping in the lake of water, took off with a pillow and an umbrella, and ran barefoot through the mud and rain to my little Versa, where I would cozy up for the evening.

When I got to my car, I was soaked. I thought about curling up in the back seat, but one of the girls who had been in my car had paperwork in the back seat that she had been working on. I was completely wet and I didn’t want to ruin it. So, I decided to sit in the front seat. I got into my car, pulled off my soaking wet pillowcase, curled my pillow up next to me, covered my arms with a hoodie, and tried my best to fall asleep…

But sleep never really came.

The lightning was constant and the thunder fairly loud, making it somewhat difficult to fall asleep. Not to mention the fact that I still had a bit of adrenaline pumping through my system. As I sat there though, trying to sleep in my car, somewhat cold and completely soaked, I started thinking…

About 2 years ago, I had come up with this project I wanted to do. I wanted to live in a car for a year. Now, the plan was a bit more in-depth than that, and there were reasons behind my wanting to live in a car for a year. But that was the basic idea behind it – live in my car for a year.

What started my idea was that I had two friends named Johanna and Jason, who had just taken a trip with a couple of their friends out west. They drove the whole way and traveled in a Honda Element. They were telling me just how great the Honda Element was – that it was roomy, and had seats in the back that folded down, making it large enough for an air mattress and a cozy place to sleep. I think they may have even said, “You could live in it!”

That of course got my brain ticking… and I wondered, “What if I sent in a proposal to Honda, asking them to give me a Honda Element, and in return, I would spend a year living in it, blog about it, make short videos about it, etc. and provide them with some advertising in the effort?” Granted, how “far reaching” my advertising for them would have been was definitely debatable. But I thought it could have been a great idea… The titled of my project was going to be "Elemental: 365 Days in a Honda Element" and the idea was to live on the basic "elements" of life. My hopes were that, in my “year long” house sabbatical, I’d learn what it meant to live on very little. I realized that I would not be simulating poverty in any way shape or form. I mean, after all, I had a car. I would have two HUGE things that people who are homeless do not have – shelter and transportation. I also planned to retain my job. Basically, the only things that would have been different were where I went to sleep each night, where I showered, how I ate, and how much stuff I’d have with me.

My plan was to sell almost all my possessions, taking with me only the few clothes I would need to work (oh the joys of dress code), and the few items I’d need in order to do some of the writing/videoing I wanted to do. But everything else – my musical instruments, my massive book, DVD and music collection, my electronics – everything – I’d sell.

Part of the reason I wanted to do this was to prove to myself (and maybe others) that “stuff” doesn’t make you happy. And part of it was to break myself of the habit of desiring and acquiring more and more “stuff.” I think also, I really wanted to see how creative I could get with learning to live on less. And finally, I wanted to spend some serious time thinking about all the people in the world who, not by choice, have very little to live on, and who would probably give anything to have even a car to sleep in at night.

And that’s a lot of what I thought about the other night when I slept in my car while camping. I really wrestled with my selfish thoughts… That first night, I was frustrated that we all had to sleep in our cars. As I was curled up under my hoodie – wet and cold – I was frustrated that I was sitting in an uncomfortable seat, wet and cold. But I started thinking about the fact that for me, it was one night. I would survive, I’d make it through, and the next night would be better. And in a couple of nights, I’d be back in the comfort of my own bed, surrounded by all the “stuff” I’ve come to love. I thought about the fact that there are millions in this world who do not have that luxury, who do not have the hope that the next night, they’ll be dry, warm, and safe somewhere. They do not have the luxury of seeking shelter in a car. They do not have the luxury of having a hoodie to pull over them to keep warm, and a pillow to comfort their head. They do not have the luxury of waking up the next morning to a huge spread of food, and friends that love them.

The past few months, our Hub has spent time going through the Sermon on the Mount – a ridiculously challenging and yet amazing portion of scripture. As I lay there under the constant lightning and thunder, I couldn’t help but think through the part where it talks about treasures on earth vs. treasures in heaven. Even this past week, I heard from a woman who spent a large portion of her life living on the streets - her story brought me to tears. I realized how often I am ungrateful, and even complain about all of the “treasures” I have here – treasures I should care less about! I thought about how I depend so much on my ability to buy my comfort and happiness. And yet, I realized how unfulfilling that is, and how un-Christlike it is as well.

I’m not saying that “stuff” is inherently bad. I’m not saying that I should deny myself everything in the world. However, what I’m saying is that over the past couple of years, but even moreso recently, I’ve come to realize just how much I depend on “stuff” and how it’s come to control me.

I don’t know what’s next as far as changing this… I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t know what my next move should be. But at least my brain is thinking, and I’ve become more conscious of my behavior.

Today, I’m going to visit a community house in the heart of Milwaukee. For a few years now, I've had a huge desire to live in a community house! I’m pretty excited to see how they’re “living on less” and really helping the kingdom come to earth. In less than 3 weeks, I’ll be in Gulu, Uganda. I’m quite sure that experience will also blow my mind. I’m so excited to learn… I just pray that I’m able to soak it all in, and really make some changes in my life.

May I be a person who constantly questions my "need" for stuff, who learns to store my treasures not on earth but in heaven, and who genuinely seeks for Your kingdom to come, and Your will to be done.