Celebrating SimplicitySample

Sane Schedules

The following words of E. Lee Phillips continue to bring me up short: “Lord, do not let us do more if in doing less we might do it better.” Talk about a lone voice in the wilderness of a culture that cries, “More, more, more!” God created us to work in community, and each of us is given a different task to do. God has promised that there will be enough gifts to cover the needs of the community; we don’t have to do it all ourselves.

We all know people who are grossly overcommitted in their lives. Keeping a good balance regarding an appropriate number of things to be involved in during a particular season of life can be tough when there are so many activities to choose from. 

I once knew a woman who wanted to work a full-time job, have young children at home, work part time at her church, be on denominational and local church committees, and do a program of study that had a significant element of accountability associated with it. When I knew her, her work in the study program was suffering. When that fact was pointed out to her, she became angry and was insulted that someone was implying that maybe she couldn’t do it all!

What would you have said to this person? How does your family handle a great opportunity that comes up when the calendar is already full? The discipline of simplicity speaks to our calendars as well as our possessions.

From Spiritual Disciplines Devotional by Valerie E. Hess.