Spiritual Disciplines: Simplicity 

Spiritual Disciplines: Simplicity 

Have you ever looked at a calendar packed with appointments and felt overwhelmed or exhausted? Or a house filled to the brim with your things and felt suffocated?

Our culture has subtly, and not-so-subtly, pushed the idea that “more is better” and “bigger is better.” We look to the next car, the bigger house, the next generation of cell phones, the newest style trends, and we keep on buying more and more until we are drowning in excess. We also live in a culture that seems to equate busyness with status. The busier we are, the more desirable we must be, or the more important we appear. We fill our calendars with appointments, experiences, coffee dates, and entertainment. But where does that leave us? 

None of those things we can fill our lives with will make us feel free or at peace. They will actually do just the opposite. The more we own, the more we become slaves to what we have. The busier we become, the more we feel like slaves to our schedules. In the end, we are left with full closets and busy calendars, but souls that are exhausted and starving. We don’t need another outfit, the next cellphone, or another event. What we truly need is more of God. And we need to simplify so we can spend more time with God. So today, we are talking about the spiritual discipline of simplicity.

The more we own, the more we become slaves to what we have. The busier we become, the more we feel like slaves to our schedules.

Practicing simplicity is a method of cutting away what is unnecessary to make time and space for what truly matters. It is learning to let go of things we do not need, and reducing the attachment we have to items that are just temporary, so that we can focus on the eternal. The desire behind simplicity is to untangle and uncomplicate our lives so that we can pay more attention to our relationship with God. As we simplify and grow closer to Him, we will find the fulfillment that none of those temporary things could ever provide.

Jesus said it best in Matthew 6:19–21, when He said, “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus didn’t just preach this; He also lived this out perfectly. He lived simply, taking very little with Him wherever He went. He spoke simply, letting His yes be yes, and His no be no, and not using fancy jargon. He even ate simply, choosing basic meals and not overly concerning himself with cultural customs. Those choices allowed Him to spend more time focusing on prayer, His relationship with the Father, and His relationships with other people. 

So, what would the spiritual discipline of simplicity look like in our daily lives?

Here are a few things we can do to practice simplicity and focus more on God. First, we can try to downsize our possessions and cut back on unnecessary spending. We can set things aside and donate to those in need. Take some time to declutter; less is more. We can build the habit of making a list before we go shopping and only getting the things we need. Then we can turn our attention to our schedules. We can take an honest look at our calendars and work to simplify them by removing nonessential activities that are making our lives more complicated and preventing us from taking time alone with God. Another way to practice simplicity is to remove distractions and preoccupations. We can stop doomscrolling and binge-watching; we can put the tech down. We can also find ways to speak simply: stop gossiping, tell the truth kindly, and think before we speak. We can even eat simply, sharing meals with the people we love at home, away from screens and noise. And one more way to simplify is to enjoy simple pleasures that cost nothing, like going for a nature walk, watching the sky, listening to birds, borrowing a book from the library, or even better, pulling out our Bibles!

And once we have simplified in these ways, we don’t just leave a void. The intention is to clear out so we can fill the space with God and things that prioritize our relationship with Him. The end goal is itself simple: Less stuff, more God.

Practicing simplicity as a spiritual discipline will help us experience freedom, let go of the temporary, and live an uncluttered life. But most importantly, it will help us create more time and space for God above all else.

If you have questions about practicing simplicity as a spiritual discipline or would like to talk with someone about your faith, please reach out to us at experiencecc.com.