©Laurie Pace Graphics One Design 2025
Bathed in Gold
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Lately, my heart has been drawn to the idea of being lighter in how we live our lives.
We live in a society fueled by billions of dollars in advertising, and nowhere is it more visible than during the holiday season. How that aligns with the birth of Jesus, I will never understand. Yet, this time of year especially, we seem to feel the pressure to need more, buy more, spend more.
In reality, all that spending and buying doesn’t bring freedom—it brings more stuff. And the more stuff we accumulate, the heavier life becomes. Bulging drawers and closets. Utility rooms overflowing. Kitchen cabinets crammed full. Pantries stuffed. Linen closets where things tumble out when you open the door.
So I find myself asking two questions:
Why do we feel such a need to spend money?
And why do we feel so depressed and weighed down afterward?
Perhaps it’s because the very things we hope will make us feel better actually weigh us down—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Then there’s the constant pull of technology. Social media. Advertising. Texting. Messaging. Scrolling. The feeling that we must be connected every minute of the day. We are teaching this pace to our children and grandchildren, often without realizing it.
Hubby and I have made a conscious effort to live differently. We limit our “electrical” time to either morning or evening. While I do run a business and volunteer with Women Artists of the West (WAOW)—maintaining their website—I am on the computer for work, not for endless scrolling. Social media is used only when I post a blog link.
As I looked around recently, I noticed something that made me smile. Our Christmas decorations have been pared down to two smaller boxes and one mid-sized box that stays in my bedroom closet. No more hauling three massive containers down from the attic. The new tree may end up attic-bound as well—unless I can clear even more space, which is my goal before the New Year arrives.
I want to become lighter. I want to become closer to God.
This is something I practice continually in the kitchen. My pantry is cleaned out every three months, and it’s time again. Letting go has become a rhythm instead of a chore.
A funny side note—while ordering from Vitacost, I mistakenly completed the same purchase on both my phone and computer. I ended up with two identical orders: lots of pasta and veggie broth. Lesson learned. Even in simplicity, awareness matters. I’m learning.
Americans seem to have a desperate need to be happy, believing happiness can be bought—stuff, clothes, shoes (and more shoes), purses, makeup—week after week. But happiness cannot be purchased. It comes from within.
Serving others is another path to lightness and fulfillment. Helping at a donation center, serving in a kitchen for the homeless, donating time at church—giving of yourself in meaningful ways brings a sense of purpose that possessions never can. Contentment and lightness seem to walk hand in hand.
Jesus Himself lived lightly. No excess. No accumulation. No attachment to things.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
Matthew 6:19–20
As this year draws to a close, my prayer is simple:
Less weight. Less noise. Less stuff.
More God. More Love. More light. More peace.
More room for what truly matters. Elle
Follow the Spirit of the Paint... with Laurie Pace
Laurie is an international artist, her paintings are collected in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, DuBai, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, St Thomas, Romania, Greece, Croatia, and Ecuador.
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