Simplifying life will not happen without ruthlessly eliminating hurry and busyness from our lives. I remember hearing Dallas Willard’s words when asked one time about how a person could take care of his soul in a world that was fast-paced, full and often times frantic. Dallas responded by saying, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” Easier said than done.
Our Simplify series caused me some frustration this week. I’ve been working on the concept and vision of a simplified life now for quite some time, and I realized two things recently. First, if I’m going to simplify my life, it’s going to take effort on my part. Second, if I’m going to simplify my life, it’s going to take time. It won’t happen overnight. It will take time and determination if I’m going to be able to initiate and carry out a strategy to simplify my life into place. It will take time to see the fruit.
What I realized is that I need to learn to celebrate the steps on the journey that I take as I move toward the goal. It may take much longer to reach the goal than I had ever imagined. So, I need to be ready to give myself the needed grace and mercy when I appear to fail. My trajectory is toward simplification even though my current reality may still be extremely full and even chaotic.
Therefore, I’m even more committed to living in the Cycle of Grace (watch the service from March 1, 2015) and to overcoming busyness in my life (watch the service from March 8, 2015). I am seeking more and more to live for an audience of one! I am grateful to God that He is patient with me.
This Sunday, I will talk more about how we maintain a life that is full and yet still simple. This message is foundational to knowing how to live with power, purpose and potential. In fact, I would say, it will probably be one of the top 10 messages of my 23-year pastoral career – you may think otherwise, but I’m sticking to my story.
Seeking a simpler way to respond to life,
Saturday Prayer Focus: Anew Day. Pray for the folks over at Anew Day who are making sure that those who experience emotional pain and feel alone or suicidal have a safe, inexpensive Bible-based resource where they can turn. Pray for Anew Day as they launch their new venture called Anew Place. Anew Place is a resource center and thrift store. It’s a way to raise money, awareness and offer classes and training.
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