Craving simple

I am craving simplicity. Are you?

We are inundated with information at rapid speeds we cannot possibly retain it all.

We live in a time where you have to be purposeful to not overstimulate and overschedule your life, and to continually adjust and set boundaries. I find myself frequently needing space to think, to breathe, to be with God. 

I was recently at a local grocery store and the alarms were blaring. I began to look for the employees to see if it was safe to enter because I thought surely they were doing a fire drill. Much to my surprise the workers were calm. Many of them were even on their phones oblivious to the piercing noise and shoppers were casually strolling through the store. I started wondering if I was the only one who heard the alarms. The siren lasted for probably five more long minutes before finally stopping. I couldn’t help but think, is this how God feels sometimes? 

He’s blasting sirens in our lives to get our attention and our response is too often that we keep running our errands and checking our phones. We have become absorbed with ourselves swept up in the distractions of life. Yet there I was, I too had joined the crowd of shoppers ignoring the piercing noise. 

Are we aware of Him crying out to us yet stay blissfully ignorant in the busyness of our day to day?

This is not an article on how to simplify your life in 3 easy steps but I do feel compelled to continually ask God to help me prioritize my life.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 says, “to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.” 

Does leading a quiet life and minding our own business sound like two things that we do well as a society today? They are both counter cultural to say the least. 

There has been a shift in culture that causes us to feel as if our life should be producing something that is visibly noticed by others at all times. If we are striving to prove something to others, we’ll always end up falling short. When in reality, the majority of our lives are lived behind the scenes in ordinary struggles and daily routines. He sees us in every moment of every day. He sees us on our best days and on our worst. Isn’t God the only one whom we should be living for anyways? 

I want to encourage you to consider what you have allowed to take root in your life that may be interrupting God's best for you. Whatever it is that is blaring loud in your mind and heart today, lean into Jesus asking him to show you what is most important in your current season. 

As mothers, our seasons are ever changing and our children look to us for many things. My hope is that everything I say and do points my kids’ hearts to him.

With God’s help, let’s display to our families a quiet life fully dependent upon him. 

Jesus, help me to dig deep and search in every crevice of my heart and mind for the things I’ve allowed in my life that are hindering me from you. Give me strength to make choices to simplify my life and to only seek approval from you alone. Help me to be intentional with my time and may all my ambition lead me to a quiet life that pleases you. In Jesus Name, Amen.