Isn’t it strange how we can set out with the best of intentions and all the determination in the world and still get led astray? I set out to write a post a week while I explored some of the disciplines as written about by Jo Swinney and Richard Foster in their respective books (see previous posts for information) and, with a little flexibility, I was doing ok. Then right at the end I came unstuck… But although I didn’t write about it doesn’t mean I didn’t explore it in my life. In fact, this is the discipline I struggled with the most.
So, simplicity.
I thought I could live quite simply. I don’t have particularly expensive taste, I’m quite happy with basics. My shopping list must-haves are milk and eggs. Oh, and tea bags. But I can live without most ‘stuff’. I have it, but I don’t need it. I can lay aside my phone or my laptop, I don’t need to pick up a book. And can appreciate the quiet of outdoors without needing to fill the time or the silence.
But actually it’s quite hard to actually live simply, especially when the society I live in promotes the complete opposite. There always seems to be a call on our time, either working extra or spending time with friends and family. There’s always the latest thing to buy with adverts constantly inviting us to try out this or that new thing. And suddenly, I’m not living that simply anymore and I have to go back and lay things down. Strip back the electronics, sort through things and pass them onto to charity shops or others in need, re-evaluate and prioritise my use of time so that I can put God first again. And then the cycle starts again – the request to work an extra shift to help the team, the invite to spend time with friends, making time to watch the latest episode…
So I have been particularly challenged while exploring this discipline. I visited a very welcoming church in the south of England and they sang 2 very apt pieces that struck a chord in my heart. One was a hymn called Dear Lord and Father of Mankind. The third verse reminded me that Jesus always set aside time to spend in silence with God. In the midst of his ministry, he found that time. While travelling around with his friends, he still found time. And from that simple place of knowing God and knowing he was loved, Jesus lived his life. He didn’t miss out on anything, he got the job done, he built relationships with people everywhere he went and his friends followed him wherever he went.
The other piece that struck me was a musical setting of the prayer of St Richard, and it perfectly encapsulates what living simply means.
Day by day, dear Lord, of thee three things I pray: To see the more clearly, love thee more dearly and follow thee more nearly, day by day.
I definitely haven’t nailed this one yet, but in realising that I need to reorder and reevaluate my use of time and my view of the world, I think I can get better.
What about you? After exploring these disciplines, is there something for you to explore? Have you found God? Is God calling you deeper? What are you going to do next?
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