Just Live Simply

So to follow up on "Just Simply Live", I'd like to share my thoughts on just living simply. Because while life is more complicated than "simply living", it is important to live simply. When we make it complicated, complications arise (quite obviously).


Oftentimes we get so caught up in things, and time, and what we can do to occupy that time. We prioritize things in the order of significance that feels right for us at the time. Mowing the lawn before family time (after all, family time can be anytime), PTA meetings before picnics, and errands and chores before Saturday relaxing. While it is all well and good to have these things, we cannot let them take over our lives. If every waking minute is spent doing something active, we will wear out quickly. There has to be some pattern to the chaos; some time to take off. We have to take those sweet, happy, silly, and sad moments of life, and make the most of them. Rather than rushing through everything you do, (here it comes) take time to smell the roses. In other words, TAKE A BREAK. Take it a bit slower (us Southerners are real good at that), and enjoy what you do. The Bible says to pray without ceasing. Do it! Pray as you go about what you do. Sometimes there will be rushing, sometimes you will need to hurry up and get somewhere or do something, and that's okay! But it is still good to take some time to slow down.

When we are still and quiet we can hear the handiwork of God, in the wind, in the chirping of the crickets, in the whisper of little children in their homemade living room fort. We can see His creation in the little tiny veins of the leaves of towering oaks, redwoods, sequoias, and in the uniquely marvelous color of a person's eyes. We can feel it in the warmth of the sun (it's amazing that something that far away can provide light and extreme heat as it does!), and in the soft fur of a kitten or a bunny rabbit. We smell His love when we breath in the fresh breeze of the country, or the smooth scent of a freshly blossomed flower. Have you ever thought of the majesty of God as you eat fresh fruit, or catch a snowflake on your tongue? He made it all! But if we don't stop to hear, see, feel, smell, and taste, how can we truly appreciate the beauty, the complexity, the wonder of God's creation? Sometimes we are more blessed by stopping to thank the God who created these things than by rushing to the fourth mid week church service. Perhaps it's not as productive in tangible things, but by taking that time to praise Him for His creation, you are glorifying Him by your praise and satisfaction with the wonder of His work.

Sometimes we are so focused on what we are going to do next we haphazardly do what we are doing at the moment. It affects our entire attitude and life. You might be spending your whole Bible reading focused on how you have to go grocery shopping, to work, to school, etc. How can you then take away anything beneficial other than a "refresher" of sorts? We need to focus on the task at hand, but above all focus on Jesus Christ. Jesus never rushed. He never hurried. He took things one at a time, and thus many opportunities that potentially could have been missed had he been on any agenda but the Father's. Strive to have his attitude when the little child stops you in the middle of washing dishes to ask you a hard question (in the child's eyes). Don't push them off for later. When you see the elderly woman struggling with her groceries, offer to help her and don't worry about how you'll be a few minutes late getting home to get dinner started. Live your life with the same simplicity and willingness that Jesus Christ did.

So, in concluding I will say that while it is true that life is somewhat complicated, and that we can't just "live", we do need to make sure that the complication isn't ruling our lives. We need to maintain a correct focus and make sure that our priorities are lining up with what the Father wants of us and asks of us. In doing so we can avoid a lot of stress and discontentment. We can have that sense of fullness and satisfaction in knowing that our lives really aren't our own, but are subject to the will of the Father, and therefore much more productive than by our own sense of priority and importance.