Simplify Your Life: How Jesus Invites You To Find More In Less
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by how life is so full of stuff - of events and meetings on the calendars, of social gatherings and functions, of payments on top of payments, of extracurriculars, and even more so, full of image management, striving for accomplishment, maintaining comfort. It’s exhausting, isn’t it? When you really take a moment to reflect on all that you have to do, have to be, have to oversee, it makes you wonder if this is really the only way. Good news: Jesus has an alternative way of living.
Simplify Your Life: How Jesus Invites You To Find More In Less
In Luke 12:31-32, Jesus says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.” Life with Jesus offers you a different kind of fullness - one of joy, connection, and purpose. This is about finding the abundance of life to the fullest with Jesus in the simplicity of daily life, not in the scarcity of daily need. Jesus’ invitation to you is to be less possessed by your possessions, and more present to him.
Here are 3 simple ways to practice simplicity to make space to encounter Jesus and his way:
Make Giving A Habit: The very Gospel is a reminder that God loves to give good, and not because you earned it or deserved it. How can you practice growing in generosity with the people around you? How might the direction of your generosity shift as you seek God’s Kingdom?
Simplify Stuff You Have: Spend some time taking an inventory of what you have and think intentionally of what helps you to seek God’s Kingdom. Ground yourself in the simple, yet powerful practice of gratitude throughout the week. It’s not about where your stuff is and what you have, but about what happens in you when it moves.
Simplify Stuff You Want: In his book, “Freedom Of Simplicity: Finding Harmony In A Complex World,” Richard Foster says, “Contemporary culture is plagued by the passion to possess. Christian simplicity frees us from this modern mania.” Let the daily-ness of life help you to encounter the God in all things!
To be human is to need. Jesus is not saying that having stuff is bad. His invitation is to transform what you have and what you want into who you want and who you want to become - more of God’s way in your life. In his book, “Celebration of Discipline,” Richard Foster says, “The inward reality of simplicity involves a life of joyful unconcern for possessions.” This kind of unconcern creates fresh space for the greatest concern: encounter with and enjoyment of God.