Unrushed Living: Embracing Simplicity and Savoring Life's MomentsSample

Simplicity: Living Without Distraction

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. I TIMOTHY 6:6–7

She found herself caring more about what was on her newsfeed than who or what was in the room where she sat. Instead of silhouettes and the soft breathing of her loved ones, she fell asleep with the images on the screen still burning behind her eyelids. So one day she found courage. She turned it all off. She embraced the holiness of the everyday, decluttered her brain and heart, and chose to tune in to the people and pleasures in her immediate world.

Simplicity is one of the most underrated virtues. We get so caught up in how we can own and how fancy we can look to everyone else. But somewhere deep inside, we know that the message of Jesus is a simple truth and that we simply have to live like we believe it. He tells us to come to Him like little children. And one of the things that children do very well is live in the present. They can make moments with a peanut butter sandwich or a wooden train set feel like the most unwasted, precious times. Children laugh with abandon, cry with passion, snuggle with complete trust, and fall asleep without a care in the world. How would your life be different if you were to start living like a child? What if you didn’t let self-awareness get in the way of a giant laugh that fills a crowded restaurant? What if you set aside every distraction just to be on the floor with your children or animals or a good book or crochet pattern? You won’t get back the hours you’ve been given today . . . but you can make these hours some of the sweetest memories of simply living.

God,

there’s so much beauty in the simple moments that I find myself taking for granted. May You help me to embrace the joy and peace in the ordinary, to embrace simplicity in every way, and focus on what truly matters. May I learn to let go of unnecessary distractions and allow my heart to appreciate what’s around me.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.