We have been carefully avoiding concrete measurements and formulas, in our discussions of simplicity, mostly because we do not want to obscure the very real internal issues at stake. It would be far too easy to get distracted by controversial details and completely misunderstand what practicing simplicity means in our lives. Not to\u00a0mention that coming up with\u00a0one visible standard to lay across all our backs\u00a0(to make sure we are measuring up) is nothing more than forging chains of man-made expectations;\u00a0Jesus warned us about our\u00a0hypocritical\u00a0tendency to tie other people up into tidy bundles.<\/p>\n
So let’s revisit the truths we’ve been distilling, drop by drop, gaze into that quiet pool of clear water and breathe deep, let it sink in where the Holy Spirit can make His own connections to life. Simplicity is trusting God for life itself. It is total dependence on His provision and the resulting freedom from anxiety and fear. It is a\u00a0focus of heart and mind and life on the “pearl of great price”<\/em> that we Christ-followers have discovered in the Kingdom of Heaven, seeing\u00a0everything else falling into new perspectives because of that focus.<\/p>\n And let’s not overlook the fact that\u00a0at some point\u00a0these truths are going to have<\/em> to push their way into the\u00a0Everyday, both in large and small ways. Perhaps even in some startling life-upheaval ways. Otherwise simplicity is just one more nice idea. But that is between your heart and God’s Spirit. We are babes at this, so we stand and lurch forward a few steps,\u00a0maybe even take off at a tip-toe run across new wide open spaces, only to lose our balance and fall flat a moment later. It’s all in a day’s growth. He will show us where we need to change, and how much is enough.\u00a0That’s why we use\u00a0the phrase spiritual practice<\/em> or spiritual discipline (training<\/em>)\u00a0when we talk about learning these new habits.<\/p>\n It\u00a0is perhaps encouraging\u00a0to remember that this does not come naturally to us–\u00a0mistrust comes naturally…wanting to control my own world comes naturally…following my emotions comes naturally.\u00a0These are the old-way habits I am trying to unlearn. Only the Spirit of God living in me\u00a0can open my eyes to\u00a0how beautiful a simple dependence on my\u00a0Creator\u00a0can be. It takes His divine power at work in my\u00a0heart to\u00a0shift my\u00a0viewpoint to\u00a0realize\u00a0how unnecessarily I\u00a0complicate my life\u00a0with worries, how I\u00a0get tangled up with rationalization and desire for others’ approval and wanting\u00a0things. Only Jesus’ grace will cover the mistakes I\u00a0make and give me\u00a0the courage to try again. And His strong arms will guide me\u00a0and protect me as I\u00a0go on.<\/p>\n So when we slide back into old ways we\u00a0will get back up on our feet, with the Spirit’s help, and follow after Jesus with our baby steps, and keep on putting these truths into practice, until someday we can look back and see how far we have come, just like any child growing up under a parent’s loving watchful care.\u00a0The important thing is that we\u00a0practice this new habit of simplicity over and over again, knowing it is for our own spiritual health…keep listening and obeying. Life is much simpler when we do.<\/p>\n ~~~~~~~<\/p>\n “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won\u2019t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you\u2019ll learn to live freely and lightly.” ~~~~~~~<\/p>\n “At every moment,God’s Will produces what is needful for the task at hand, and the simple soul, instructed by faith, finds everything as it should be and wants neither more nor less than whatever it has.” (Jean-Pierre de Caussade)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We have been carefully avoiding concrete measurements and formulas, in our discussions of simplicity, mostly because we do not want to obscure the very real internal issues at stake. It would be far too easy to get distracted by controversial … Continue reading
\n(Jesus in Matthew 11:29-30, The Message)<\/em><\/p>\n