The Beauty of Simplicity

At this time in my life, where everything seems so incredibly busy, I’m reminded of the beauty of simplicity. I smile, breathing deep, as I look around me, and see fresh reminders of the Lord's steadfast love and His unwavering faithfulness. He is in every single detail of our mundane lives. Whether it be the color that fills the trees, the beautiful blue pigment of the sky, the sweet, smelling aroma of fresh flowers, the sound of laughter among his beautiful people, and 1,000 other things that are love notes from Him that draw us deeper to His heart.

I don’t know if you’re like me, but sometimes I find myself over complicating relationship with the lord. I make it this seemingly long list of do's and don’ts, or I fall into the trap of making everything a to-do list just to check off reading my Bible, and praying as if it’s every other task. We must come to realize that the Lord cannot be an item on our list, He must be the list. Every single thing in my life must revolve around relationship with Him.

Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Do you see the simplicity of this verse? The Lord simply says to come to Him. He doesn’t require anything, but simply you coming to Him.

I find so much peace in knowing that God simply wants a relationship with me. Not how much I can do for him, but rather He is more concerned with the fullness of who I am and my whole hearted devotion to Him. I find so much freedom in the truth that the Lord desires and delights in me coming to Him (Zephaniah 3:17,"The Lord your God is in your midst,

a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing"). My encouragement to you is to not over-complicate your relationship with the Lord. Go back to the simplicity of falling deeper in love with Him. Take walks with your sovereign Savior. Meditate on a singular verse, or a chapter, whatever the Lord is leading you to do. Spend time just being in the fullness of His presence. Journal about what He is actively doing in your life. He is always moving and working even when we don't feel it or see it. Express gratitude for His goodness. Spend time in prayer. Seek to worship and adore Him through song. Actively seek Him through service. The Kingdom is simple, everything must be rooted in love for the Savior.

To reiterate, sometimes stagnation and complacency occurs as a result of over-complicating our relationship with Christ. I for one have been reminded lately of my need to return to the simplicity of loving my sweet Jesus. We must go back to the basics. We must observe His teachings and follow His practices. To become like Him we must behold Him, and to behold Him we must spend time just being with Him.

There is beauty in the simplicity of loving and following Jesus<33