It is unlikely that many people approach their lives thinking, “I should make this more complicated,” yet, too often our decisions do exactly that. We want things to run smoothly and to be easier in many ways, only to find that it takes very little to make it all more complicated. Even the seemingly insignificant decisions and actions can come with a cascade of unintended consequences.
The biggest challenges to the sense of comfort and peace I desire are found in the things I own, and the engagements I accept. The “stuff” that collects in my house and in my calendar seems useful, even necessary, at the time, and later turns out to be a source of frustration and complication. As we continue to unpack our belongings, I find there are numerous things that have no home. These simple things take up space, filling drawers that could hold other things, and taking up valuable shelf space. Unpacking pens, refills, and miscellaneous office supplies filled several drawers that I now need to root through to find the items I need, and there are still more things that could go in the same space. I keep asking, “Why did I buy all of this? Am I ever going to use it? Will I remember where it is when I need it?” Useful items have suddenly become clutter.
My schedule can experience the same overload. It is easy to say, “Yes,” to invitations that I find attractive and meaningful, but it is also easy to say that to too many of them. Of course, it doesn’t take long to realize that each acceptance typically comes with preparation and a greater commitment of time than I expected. Unchecked, activities I love become burdensome and affect everything else in my plans.
I know I am not the only one who experiences such challenges. Things and plans embraced with good intentions quickly accumulate and become obstacles instead of opportunities. This is probably why the early church Mothers and Fathers placed such a high value on simplicity. The fewer attachments we have, the less the things of life can impede our journey. As we embrace the simple life, it is easier to find our focus and pursue it with passion, and in the process, we create space to commune with God.
The rich, young ruler who came to Jesus asking, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” was certainly not expecting Jesus’ reply. I imagine he was ready to take on a new task, or embrace something else into his life. Instead, Jesus called on him to release what he already possessed and follow him. The story ends with the man leaving discouraged. Letting go is hard.
Saying, “No,” is hard as well. There are so many wonderful, important opportunities around us, so many places to be involved and make a difference, yet we cannot do it all. It can be equally discouraging to turn down invitations we want to accept but, whether it is things or appointments (or anything else for that matter), anything that removes the simplicity from our lives also removes our peace and our effectiveness.
During a part of my education, while I had a full schedule at school, and a church I served part-time, a friend gave me a small cartoon. In that pre-digital meme, a woman is speaking to her exasperated partner, “Just remember, dear, Jesus loves you, and everyone else has a wonderful plan for your life.” I laughed, but I also winced, because much of my life was consumed by things that kept me busy, not things that brought real meaning to my life. I thought I could blame syllabi or others’ expectations for my full schedule, but that was not the true cause.
The real key to navigating these challenges comes in the realization that we set our schedules, and we choose how much we possess. We have the power to choose the simple life, or we can continue to make the same decisions that keep us cluttered and confused. We have the power to let go, and the authority to say, “no.” This is where a clear sense of vision and purpose becomes invaluable to our decision making process. When we have a clear vision of who we are and where we are going, we are able to make wise choices about what we allow in our lives. Just as we can choose to buy one more thing and take on one more task, we can also choose the simple life that accentuates the significant things while releasing the clutter and busyness.
Jesus offered some very sound advice to his followers. He said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and all these other things will be given to you.” (Matthew 6:33) When we put God, and God’s agenda first, all of the other things of life will find their proper place. When we invert the process, we become overloaded and exhausted, and God’s great purpose for our lives gets lost in the mess.
Choosing the simple life is not easy, but the reward is great. To make the decision, we must let go of the need to own everything, and we must find our value in our relationship with God. It requires accepting the truth that our possessions do not make us important, nor does the level of activity in our calendar. Our value, our sense of worth, our identity will not be found in these places. Instead, we must come to know that our significance is found in the truth that God, “chose us in him [Jesus] before the foundation of the world, to be adopted as the children of God.” (Ephesians 1:4)
We matter because we are created in the image of God, loved by God, and made God’s children through Jesus Christ. With that knowledge, we can pursue lives of meaning, rooted in something much greater that the things people typically chase after. As a young woman I met in a poverty stricken community in Brazil once said to me, “We have everything because we have him.”
May the simple life of that truth call us and guide us as we live lives of destiny and purpose. May we throw off the things that weigh us down, so that we can run into the future God prepares for us. May we bind ourselves to God and find that the chains that hold us back are broken as we do. Maybe it is time to take our saturated schedules and our over-filled spaces, and trade them for the joy of simplicity.
