Live - and Love - Simply

I grew up living simply.  If I was inside, it was to get lost in a book or to finish school as fast as possible so I could go outside.  Out of the house, I spent every afternoon in imagination games with my siblings and friends.

In the creeks, we were Indians washing away our tracks to escape from the settlers seeking to capture us.  In the woods, we fled from orphanage keepers.  Playing tag, exploring unknown lands, we embraced the beauty of life God gave us.

And then we grew up.  Addition turned into algebra.  Stories turned into essays.

Life became complicated.

But I wonder if it has to be that way.

   

Maybe you noticed that I skipped posting last week.  I haven't done that in months.  But life has become overwhelmingly busy at times (college does that), and, yes, I fall short.

It's crept to other areas of life.  I can't write my sequel... because I'm busy.  I can't savor relationships, go outside to just leisurely enjoy life, take a break to simply love God.  Sometimes life is like that.

Ultimately, the problem comes down to our priorities, but there's another issue.  Life is complicated.  Taking college classes, having online ministries, starting Bible studies at Church, trying to keep up with everything - it's complicated.

So easily, I become burned out, tired, exhausted.  And I need to go back.

O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;

You maintain my lot.

The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Yes, I have a good inheritance.

- Psalm 16:5-6

Last week, I did that.  I grabbed my 4 year old sister's hand.  We imagined that we had an umbrella that could fly, and we flew to the creeks, through brushes, and up a hill.  We discovered treasures and put them in our museum.

Another day, we climbed trees.  How long was it since I last scrambled up branches, let my skin rub raw, and tottered above the earth, looking down on the ground from a new perspective?  When I tried to swing on vines (failing but enjoying the moments) and climb up just one branch higher?

I made dinner for my family.  Baking for twelve is time consuming, but I savored the evening and doing something I had missed while working on essays and academic papers.

And so many other moments.  Walking through a cave and treasuring the beauty of it.  Laughing and talking in silly accents, forgetting that I'm an "adult" and supposed to be mature and serious *cough*.  Grabbing a childhood favorite book and losing myself in its pages.

And remembering the simple truths about God too.

Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.

- Deuteronomy 7:9

The Bible may seem complicated, but I remembered what is stands for.  We were created in the beginning because He loved us (Psalm 139:13-18).  Despite our failures, He is our strength (2 Corinthians 12:9), and He proved that by becoming the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.  In the end, that love story will be complete when we are in His presence together, united (Revelation 22).

We can get consumed by so much, when it's all supposed to be very simple.  Jesus loved us with everything.  Why don't we do the same?  Why don't we love Him and others radically like that?

Let all that you do be done with love.

- 1 Corinthians 16:14

It's not about trying so hard to overcome our weaknesses.  It's about realizing that we have everything we need for life and Godliness, and that's in Jesus (2 Peter 1:3).  We seek Him, strive to become like Him, strive to Love like Him.

It's a relationship.  He loves me, and I want every part of my life to love Him in return.

  

I don't think life was meant to be complicated.  We can be consumed by so much - being healthy, doing all the right things, keeping up with life, writing that next bestseller - when life was meant to be much simpler.

Jesus.

Living every moment as a worship to Him.  Embracing the life He chose to give us.

O my soul, you have said to the Lord,

"You are my Lord,

My goodness is nothing apart from You."

- Psalm 16:2

And somehow, when I remember that, it's enough for me.

I'll forget and go back to those long college papers, draining afternoons, and busy schedules, but I want to remember that I do all that for Him.  To love Him.  I complete my assignments to honor Him.  I worship Him through ministries, through holding that crying baby, through taking a break to love my sibling.

I might not be able to spend my life in the woods like I did when I was young, but I can go back to that simple joy I had when I loved Him, loved life, and embraced it all with thankfulness.  

My friend, live simply.  And love simply.

For Jesus.

   

But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

- Luke 18:16-17

~♥~