It was something so simple, but we nearly missed it! On June 12, it was National Simplicity Day. It’s a day to celebrate the simple life. The clarion call goes out to be a bit of a minimalist, ridding ourselves of unnecessary items.
American actor John Brotherton made a great statement concerning simplicity. He said, “My riches consist not in the extent of my possessions but in the fewness of my wants.” The National Day Calendar adds these thoughts about simplicity.
“Seek a leisurely pace that doesn’t include the accumulation of things. That’s the easiest explanation of the day… We all need the nourishment of food and rest and satisfaction of a job well done. These simple things collect together to fulfill our greatest needs. All that remains falls away.
“However, living simply doesn’t mean living without. It means living with only what we need. Look around you throughout the day and consider the excesses. The next time something breaks ask whether it can be repaired instead of replacing it.
“Besides, when our lives are simpler, our stress decreases. We no longer feel the pressure to acquire more things. We have time to pursue adventures and spend time with people we enjoy.”1
There’s a lot of wisdom in those statements that sound almost like they come from the Bible. Without knowing it, these people have parroted something that the Lord has said for centuries. It begins with the Gospel message.
To the church of Corinth, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (4) For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”
Like a person who is a collector, gathering this and that, there are those who are “ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7) The Gospel message of salvation in and through the crucified, buried, risen Savior and His blood atonement for sins is too simple for them. They must analyze and scrutinize the plan of salvation, weighing its simple message against other theological persuasions and paths to Heaven presented by others. By the time they have concocted their plan of salvation, it is anything but simple! And it’s certainly not the Gospel.
As Christians, we are actually called to live a simple life. 2 Corinthians 1:12 says, “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.” Fleshly wisdom tells us to get, get, get while Godly wisdom tell us to give, give, give and to avoid unnecessary, unwarranted purchases and the accumulation of things. That doesn’t mean that we can’t decorate our home or buy a picture for a wall. But, since we are only stewards of God’s resources, it would seem wise to seek God’s approval before doing anything with His finances!
A simple life is a life filled with contentment, joy, satisfaction, and appreciation for what God has given. Do we have that kind of life? On this National Day of Simplicity, perhaps we need to have a heart-to-heart chat with the Lord and ask Him to help us want the simple life.
If we feel that we need to hoard and collect, God tells us what we can have in abundance in 1 Timothy 6:6. “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
1https://nationaldaycalendar.com/celebrations/national-simplicity-day-july-12
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