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Uncomplicated Living
Thursday, September 23, 2021 by Barbara
Moving Moments #2
The house wasn’t ready so we heaped all our furniture atop each other in the garage and piled everything else we own in the basement. We accepted living in one room for a couple of weeks, meaning two, maybe three. I’m glad I didn’t know it would be eight weeks before our bedroom was ready—we’re living large in two rooms now!
I have been amazed with what I can do without. For two months I rotated six shirts and four jeans. Sunday wear was limited to four combinations I mixed and matched. A 30-inch table served as our dining space and my desk, but the worst part was I was totally disorganized. Our standard answer to “Where is…?” was, “In the basement,” which meant it’s in a box somewhere down there. We washed dishes in the bathroom, made coffee in the living room, and only ate what could be nuked. Praise God for friends who provided meals!
What have I learned? In tandem with last week’s lesson about purging, I’ve discovered the value in paring down. I own so many frills and thrills I’ve labeled as conveniences but now see as burdensome complications. Not only has my lifestyle returned to basics but I’ve seen this valuable for my spiritual life as well.
Today’s world is complex and our social norms are convoluted. Covid, politics, and social disputes have challenged us beyond our stretching point. We’ve learned to access far too many opinions online and listened to questionable experts espouse conflicting “knowledge.” Socially, we’ve contented ourselves with distanced living so we need not deal with sales clerks, fellow shoppers, or pew sharers. We need to get back to spiritual basics.
Such as…
- Spending time with God that is not streamed but face to face and personal (Psalm 25:14; James 4:8a)
- Remembering that we walk in faith and refuse fear (John 14:1; Isaiah 41:10)
- Embracing nonnegotiable truths in the Word that don’t bend to social norms (Luke 21:33; Ezekiel 12:24-25)
- Laughing with God at menacing nations and threatening world rulers (Psalm 2)
- Persisting to meet together, thereby spurring each other on (Hebrews 10:24-25)
- Blessing others by humbly doing good and showing mercy (Micah 6:8)
Return to the basics and “Keep it Simple, Saints!”
Read about the blessings of intimacy with God in my first book, The Tale of the Seven Sisters.
Comments
Debbie Grant From At 9/24/2021 10:42:51 AM
He desires TRUTH to be what we rely on. Outside voices are turning people further away from God then towards Him. Since November I turned off those voices so that I can hear the ONE that will speak into my spirit. He was a simple Man when He walked this earth we should follow His example.Reply by: Barbara Higby Author
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