How to Stop Over Complicating Simplicity

"So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content."

I Timothy 6:8 (NLT)

It is no secret that I long for the old days.  I crave simplicity and yearn for the way life was before electronics burst on the scene and so intrusively invaded our lives.  I miss pay phones, quiet rooms with no TVs or background noise, and watching children use their imaginations while playing with real toys.  As crazy as it sounds, I love to sit in a dark room and listen intently to the sounds of silence.  There is nothing I enjoy more than the things that do not cost anything at all.  Take a walk with me, share your heart, and listen patiently and with genuine interest while I pour out mine, and I’m blissfully content.  I often feel that I was born over a century too late, and I am forever searching for a bridge to propel me back in time to that place where I feel I most belong.

Unfortunately, I have yet to discover a time machine, and sadly, there aren’t many things I can change about this chaotic, fast-moving age of “enlightenment,” but I have discovered that I don’t have to alter the world around me, I just need to change my world.  No one can force me to live in a way that makes me uncomfortable in my own skin, nor can anyone else put forth the effort required for me to swim upstream against the current to live in a way that is counter-cultural.  If I am going to live a simple, minimal life, I am the only person who can make it happen.  Society will not conform to my ideals, and since I will never find contentment trying to squeeze myself into its mold, we will have to part ways and agree to disagree. 

Perhaps you find yourself yearning for the old days and would like to join me on my journey?

 

Here’s how:

1.     Identify how you want to live.  What is it that you long for most?  What about your ancestors’ way of life calls to you the loudest?  Is it the silence?  The close bonds and family values?  Their deeply rooted faith in God?  The joy they found in doing a hard day’s work?  The way they had time to help others?  The lack of clutter in their homes?  The fact that they only owned what was meaningful and what they needed and/or used?  Their small houses?  The way they grew their own food? 

2.     Figure out what is distracting you.  What in your atmosphere prevents you from living that kind of life?  For years, my husband worked in the banking industry in very high-stress positions that robbed him of time with our family.  Our indebtedness forced him to earn a certain salary and kept him bound to a job he detested.  We view the outsourcing of his job last year as a merciful blessing that freed him to be a more hands-on father and to participate in finishing our 13-year  homeschool journey with our son.  Now that he has accomplished that long-term dream, he is looking forward to getting back into the work force, but this time, it will be on far different terms.  All glory to God, He has enabled us to make the drastic changes required to eliminate all debt, and by my husband's choice, he is planning to find a job that will be less brain-taxing, more physically active, and with little to zero stress.  What society deems “menial” has become something very attractive and desirable to him.  The pay will be far less, but it’s okay.  Thankfully, we don’t need what we used to need to survive, peace is more important to us than money, and prestige is not something we seek to attain.

3.     Do what you have to do to make it happen.  If you long to be more present and engaged, break up with social media.  Start pouring your heart, time, and energy into the ones who mean most to you and socialize with those with whom you can talk face-to-face.  Leave your phone out of sight and only use it when absolutely necessary.  Refuse to be drawn in to keeping up with everyone else’s online life and be more intentional about your own.  Sell what you have to pay what you owe, so you can work less.  Change jobs to reduce stress.  Gracefully bow out of toxic, unhealthy relationships.  Reduce overwhelm by learning to say no.  Weigh what you long for against what is preventing you from having it.  If simply is the way you want to live, you will find a way to muster the courage to make every necessary change.  It is just plain worth it.           

4.     Prepare yourself for criticism.  Not everyone is on board with wanting to live a life of simplicity, and you may or may not garner applause and support along the way.  This is where you have to decide whether or not you will be true to your self and the values that are important to you, or if you will live bound to the opinions, expectations, and approval of others.  A few years ago, my family and I made decisions that seemed far-fetched and radical.  We sold our home, released most of our physical possessions, moved into a small rental that includes yard maintenance, and resigned from ministerial obligations that were more than we could handle.  It took steely determination and a strong resolve to stay the course, but as we look back on our journey from a place of deep contentment, we realize it was the right thing to do and worth every mile.  Like Christian in John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress,” sometimes you just have to put your fingers in your ears and run for your life.

Far too often, we overcomplicate simplicity and completely defeat our own purpose and desire to slow down and live a minimal life.  Minimalism is the polar opposite of complexity.  The very basic, but remedial truth is that the power to change lies within the wellspring of our own choices.  Through His help and strength, we can follow Jesus from a life of abundance to that more abundant life He came to enable us to live.  "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."  John 10:10

Seven Ways to Tap into the Resourceful Spirit of our Ancestors

Not so many years ago, our ancestors lived very different lives.  Even though they had far fewer choices than we do, they were content.  They used what they had, however meager, without even a thought of the possibility of having more.  Their homes were much emptier, but their lives were full.  Families ate together around the table, without distractions.  They went to bed early and slept soundly because they were gratifyingly tired from doing what they needed to do to survive.  There was no room for laziness and no time for an idle mind.  Everyone pulled their weight, and a family was, by necessity, a team, in which each member knew their part and played a valuable role in the mechanics of everyday life.  Times were hard, but a rare sense of accomplishment and productivity made it all worthwhile.

Pleasures were simple back then.  It was a treat to have a glass of lemonade or something sweet to eat. Summer evenings were spent with adults seated in rocking chairs on front porches watching barefoot little ones chasing fireflies.  Winter nights were spent indoors reading God's Word, studying, playing music, and singing around an old cookstove or fireplace.  Genuine hospitality was the norm, and visits from neighbors were a welcome reprieve.

Oh, for the simplicity of days marked with such clarity!  Looking around today, we see no resemblance to the primitive, yet peaceful lives our ancestors lived, but what if we discovered that the chasm between their lives and ours isn’t as wide across as it seems?  What if we dug deep, through the external layers of excess, busyness and modern-day expectations to find that their courageous, inventive spirit still remains and is the very bridge that will span the gap and lead us back to where we long to be?

Sure, we can’t turn back the clock and land ourselves in the day and time in which our ancestors lived, nor am I implying we should start washing our clothes on a washboard or living life without the convenience modern inventions provide (though it would certainly help to cure some of the issues resulting from the sedentary lifestyle they encourage!)  But, what if we could come closer to living through the lens of their mindset?  What if we could tap into their resourceful spirit, transform the way we live our lives, and annihilate stress?  What if we dared to swim upstream and refuse to get caught up in the fast-moving pandemonium that pervades modern society?

Here are seven simple two-word steps to renew our minds and breathe new life into the steel-resolve, improvising spirit of our ancestors buried deep within every one of us.

1.  Slow down.  Defy culture.  Life may be moving at lightning speed around us, but who says we must participate?  Look for ways to reduce debt and expenses so you don’t have to work so much, even it means selling what you have to pay what you owe.  Quieten noise.  Unplug.  Turn off.  Step outside, stargaze, and listen to nature’s symphony.  Sit still.  Thank God for your many blessings.

"Stay on the path that the LORD your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy."  Deuteronomy 5:33  (NLT)

2.  Spend less.  Challenge yourself to find contentment in what you already have.  Don’t bring unnecessary clutter and useless junk into your home.  Rein in the urge to splurge, limiting luxuries to rare occasions like they did in the olden days.

"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Hebrews 13:5  (ESV)

3.  Give more.  Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."  Acts 20:35  Give lavishly of your money, time, energy, excess possessions, talents, and resources.  Reach out to others from a place of authentic concern.  Your excess is someone else’s bounty.  Instead of buying things you don’t need, give the money to someone who is in need.  Pay a debt you don’t owe.  Buy groceries for a widow.  Mow your neighbor’s lawn.  Pay a college student’s car payment.  Pay a compliment to a struggling child.  Breathe hope into the life of an underprivileged teen.  Spend an afternoon listening to the stories of a neglected grandfather.  The fulfillment of benevolent goodwill far outshines the cheap thrill of self-indulgence hands down.

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."  Luke 6:38  (KJV)

4.  Realign priorities.  No matter what we accomplish or how much we accumulate, it means nothing if the price to acquire and maintain it requires the sacrifice of what matters most.  Clear your schedule of all that is preventing you from nourishing and pouring your energy into relationships with the ones you love.  Say no to all that is unnecessary.  Time is a limited commodity, and every window of opportunity has an expiration date.  Prevent tomorrow’s regrets by making wise choices today.

"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil."  Ephesians 5:15 (NASB)

5.  Release excess.  Clear your home of anything that vexes your spirit.  Keep only what you need, use, and love.  Discover the beauty of living within the boundaries of the basics.  If you have two of something, give one away.

"He answereth and saith unto them, 'He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise."  Luke 3:11  (KJV)

6.  Remove temptation.  Our ancestors lived within their means out of necessity, yes, but it was also due to limited shopping opportunities and little to no credit temptation.  They lived without credit cards, and we can, too.  Cut up every credit card you own.  If it isn’t in your wallet, you won’t be tempted to use it.  If self-restraint is an issue, avoid window shopping.  Throw catalogs away before even looking at them and go to stores only when necessary.  Do what it takes to live within your means.

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."  I Corinthians 10:13  (ESV)

7.  Be kind.  We all have at least a few skeletons in our closets when it comes to some not-so-nice branches in our ancestral family tree, but even so, an overall spirit of human kindness was a whole lot more prevalent in their day.  The golden rule was still taught in school.  Prayer and Bible reading was an integral part of public education curriculum.  A deep sense of underlying conscience produced honesty and caring interaction with others.  Children were raised to know that respect of parents, elders, and others was a natural, non-negotiable part of life.  What if we tapped into that spirit of kindness and began to allow it to flow into every, single thing we do?  What if we dared to forgive and love everyone?

"Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."  Ephesians 4:32  (KJV)

Who knows?  Maybe the good old days are still ahead of us.