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Simplifying your life means that you try to eliminate unnecessary time stealers, unnecessary stress builders, unnecessary attention grabbers. I have learned that the more stuff I have around me, the more distracted I am. From simple things like keeping work areas uncluttered to cleaning out closets and getting rid of things you never use or need, you and I will benefit greatly from getting rid of excess.
Simplifying your life could mean some dramatic changes—like moving to a different location. Perhaps where you live is complicating your life. If you have the option of moving, consider what it might mean to move closer to where you work so that you have a very short commute. Or maybe you need to downsize so that your housing is not so expensive, and that would simplify your life a great deal. Don’t be afraid to make even a drastic move like that if it will bring more order and composure to your life and eliminate some truly unnecessary complexities.
As we’ve had to work from home in the last few months, and going to church is a matter of turning on our computer or television to our church’s service, we have come to recognize the time we’ve saved in having no commute. Admittedly, we don’t want this to continue like this, but it serves to show us that where we can simplify our lives like this, it brings benefits.
No doubt some of you need to simplify your life by changing your job. When your job owns you, when it saps all of your energy on a regular basis, it’s time to take a step back and ask God if this is the job he wants you to have. All of us have times when we have to pour a lot of time into our jobs, but for some people, that has become their whole life.
I think of a friend of mine who accepted a very prestigious promotion on her job, and of course that made her feel very good. But shortly after taking the promotion, she said to me, “I think I owe my soul to the company store, Mary. I feel like the company owns me.” I advised her to be willing to give up that job if necessary. Her life has become quite complex, too busy, and not much fun.
So, think about it: Do you need to simplify your life by changing either where you live or where you work? Don’t be afraid to pray about it and give God permission to do that if it is his will.
I remember a friend of mine who went to a foreign country for a two-year missionary assignment. At the end of the term, as she was getting ready to return home, she gave away all of the few things she had accumulated while there, so that all she had left fit on one shelf in her closet. She wrote me and said, “I can’t tell you how freeing it is to know that all your earthly possessions can fit on one shelf. It makes life so simple.”
The things we own often end up owning us, don’t they? We really have to carefully control the accumulation of stuff in our lives, because all those things we think we must have end up complicating our lives, taking our time, causing us worries and concerns.
Jesus warned us about this when he said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). How do we recognize this condition in our own lives? Well, when we become so attached to the things we own that we can’t imagine getting rid of them, that’s a good sign that we need to get rid of them. When we hold on to possessions and consider them our treasures, we are dangerously close to that greedy mode that Jesus referred to. When we spend too much of our time and energy taking care of our possessions, that’s another sign that they own us.
What about you? Is your life greatly complicated because of all the things you own? How much of your time is spent in caring for those treasures? How much do you worry about them? Perhaps your home or your office is cluttered with things, paper, stacks of magazines, whatever. Or maybe you collect all kinds of things and those collections are in every nook and cranny. You may not realize it, but all that “stuff” is cluttering up your mind and creating confusion for you.
Do you need to simplify your life by cleaning out the house or the office, having a garage sale, giving things away? Do it! You’ll be so glad you did when you realize how much simpler life is when it’s not cluttered with stuff. And you’ll be amazed at how energized and free you will feel when you get rid of some of those things and make your life much simpler.
When you think of getting away for a vacation or having a good time, what comes to your mind? Often we think that a vacation must consist of going away and spending lots of money, so either we do that even if we can’t afford it, or we feel cheated because we can’t do that. And with travel somewhat restricted these days, we’re not as free to take vacations as before.
Taking needed breaks is definitely important for us, but we can do that without breaking the bank. You’ll remember that Jesus regularly got away with his disciples to quiet places, where they could talk and refresh. I’m sure they laughed and fished and slept, as well as prayed during those times of refreshing. But it was simple.
I’ve learned that the most relaxing breakaway for me is to spend time with my closest friends and family, people who have known me for many years, and with whom I can be totally comfortable and relaxed. I don’t need an exotic location, or expensive food, or lots of entertainment; all I need is quiet time with people I love. I’m blessed to have those friends in my life.
Maybe you need to plan just a one-day break for yourself, where you turn off the phone and the computer, find a great book to read, get some of your favorite food in the house, and just make a relaxing day for yourself. If you have a family, work a deal with your husband to swap days once in awhile. It’s simple, takes little planning, virtually no money, and yet it can rejuvenate you greatly.
The Psalmist said, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11). In a day when so many people are busy trying to find some pleasure in life, indeed many are “enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures,” as we read in Titus 3:3, we have the great privilege of finding true pleasure and joy in the presence of the Lord.
Try taking a few days away and spending extra time meditating on God’s Word, writing in your journal and just thinking about things of the Lord. It is the most refreshing thing any of us can do, and it is very simple and cost free.
What complicates your life? Would you agree that there are some relationships in your life which keep you in a dither and make your life more difficult? Sometimes we need to change some relationships or put some boundaries on some relationships in order to simplify our lives.
For example, if you are single and you’re dating someone who is not right for you, your life is very complicated as a result. Do yourself a huge favor: Abandon that relationship and your life will be incredibly simpler.
A young woman recently asked me to pray that her boyfriend would become a believer. I wrote her a very candid email advising her to cut off that relationship based on biblical principles about being yoked together with unbelievers. At first she wasn’t sure she was ready for that step, but I kept encouraging her to make this difficult decision. Not long afterwards she called to say she had done that, she moved back home to another state to finish her education, and was greatly relieved to end that relationship. Her life is much simpler now; she has reduced her stress significantly, and she knows she has done the right thing.
Now, perhaps you have some relationships that are complicating your life, but you’re not in a position to sever the relationship. If that is the case, simplify your life by changing your attitude toward that relationship. Give to that person what you are required by scripture to give, but don’t try to get more from that relationship than is possible. For example, if it’s a boss, give that boss good work effort, but don’t expect the other things you’d like to have from that person but you know you can’t get. If it’s a mate, give that mate the loyalty and love and service that you are obligated to give, but reduce your expectations of what they are going to do for you.
As my friend, Jan Silvious, puts it: Feed them with a long spoon. Don’t neglect your obligations, but don’t live for their approval or acceptance. Don’t continue to expect from them what you’ve learned they are not capable or willing to give. You’ll be amazed at how that will simplify your life, because you are no longer a slave to their approval or acceptance. You’ll feel like you’ve just been let out of prison.
And one last thing to think about in simplifying your life: Learn to live one day at a time. I know that is a cliché, but the truth is straight from God’s Word. Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).
We so complicate our lives when we worry about tomorrow. Do what God puts on your plate to do today, and do it with all your heart. Refuse to let the enemy of your soul keep causing you to worry about what the future holds. Obviously we should be prudent about planning for tomorrow, but planning and worrying are two different things! Planning and seeking God’s guidance for the future is good; worrying about the future is totally unprofitable.
If you really want to simplify your life, let go of tomorrow’s worries. You can’t handle today and tomorrow—that’s what Jesus said. So, just live today and trust your tomorrows into the trustworthy hands of God.
I sincerely hope you’ll take seriously this challenge to simplify your life. Ask God to show you how you are unnecessarily making your life more complicated, more cluttered, and more stressful than it should be, than he intends for it to be. You will be amazed to see how much better your life is when you simplify it.