Nov. 3, 2006 - Simplicity and Abundance
My friend Erin and I have (weirdly) both been thinking about simplicity lately. For me, it started with trying to discover it in my daily practical life and my material world. Erin also took it a different direction and has been looking for simplicity in her walk with Christ - in Christian worship and Christian living. These two seemingly-divergent paths are really side by side on the way to the same destination. Inasmuch as true simplicity in our practical life (at least in our western, consumerist culture) requires discipline that to me is unnatainable without supernatural intervention and practical clutter distracts from a life of simple focus on the Lord, walking the one path necessitates walking the other. Where they head is a place that, by the world's definition, seems opposite to the idea of disciplining ourselves and letting go of practical and spiritual clutter:
Abundance
Kirsten - a dear friend whom God has put in my life to sharpen me and challenge me and always tell me the truth - told me recently that God wants me to be living the Abundant life not living in survival mode. (Ouch! Did I mention I had been avoiding her for awhile so that I wouldn't have to hear anything like this?)
The ideas of abundance and simplicity have been dancing around in my mind destined to feed eachother. It was this post by Erin that finally fanned the sparks God had already ignited, causing me to think about this non-stop for the last 24 hours. God has been speaking to my heart and here's my feeble attempt at putting into words what He has been saying. It's a jumble of random thoughts that can stand on their own or just maybe come together to form a cohesive inspiration for change:
* Finding life abundant is ironically going to have to start with simplification - a decluttering of my life, my person, my writing, and, yes, my religion. True abundance can only fill a place that is free from the distraction of the trappings of false abundance things like: the stuff I have bought simply to expand my worldly lifestyle, the practice of feel-good religious rituals, self-aggrandizing writing meant to remind the world that I am humble enough to know I dont have it all together(!). False abundance leads to an emptiness that can't be filled.
* What is the point of "waxing poetic on how to live the vitorious Christian life" (borrowing Kirsten's phrase) if the poetry, the prose, even the music reflects only a heart making a mediocre attempt to 'play religion,' so to speak: building up a pretense of victory and making a pitiful attempt at forcing God to speak through my words?
Does the created mouth tell its Creator what to say? Ahhh, what arrogance can come from the mind of man. It's so easy to think myself capable of speaking for God and then humble enough to do it. Pride.
* God hasn't asked me to sell everything I own. He hasn't asked me to forgo the church picnic in favor of a more-pious hour spent on my knees in prayer for the intentions of my fellow believers. He hasn't asked me to give up my Thanksgiving with family to work at the soup kitchen or stop buying Christmas presents.
But until my heart is willing to do these things - and anything else He calls me to do (like Abraham being willing to sacrifice his son Isaac), I will be living in over-indulgence, materialism, and false abundance. My worship will be of my making in my box of religion marked
the God I am comfortable with
My worship will not be based on faith, the Spirit, or living the Victorious life.
* What is Victory and what is Abundance if not the ability (the gift, really) to truly set aside my self? What joy would life be if I never had to worry about how things would: affect me; make me feel or make me look; impose on my life or put it at risk? What could I do if I was truly humble? Truly Victorious? Truly living the Abundant life?
* Isn't it God's Word; don't we sing this song: Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God...allelu, alleluia? And aren't these the words of our Savior:
"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)
True Abundance comes only from knowing the Lord of the Universe intimately. As Kirsten put it, "it has nothing to do with your circumstances of life and everything to do with your source of life." He is Victory. He is Riches and Fullness and Life and Love. This goes beyond simply a one-time decision to follow Christ. It is a daily decision to declutter anything that takes His place or blocks your path. Finding True Abundance means not searching for it, but rather laying ourselves at the foot of the cross (daily) and letting Abundance find us.
*****
For now I'm done searching for just the right words to write (even here), the right prayers to utter, the best new spiritual book or worship music, even the 'perfect' quiet time. I'm going to unload my cluttered life at the cross and sit at the feet of my Savior for awhile. And maybe when Abundance finds me, then I can come back and "wax poetic" again - in the spirit of simplicity and humility.
[Here's an interesting question: Should it take all day to write something about simplicity? Now God's saying to me, "See, that's what's I'm talking about."
Ok, bye for now!]
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