Inner Simplicity

"Simplicity is freedom" writes Richard J. Foster in Celebration of Discipline. That freedom is gained through release from the demands of the unnecessary things found in a cluttered existence. So, identifying personal idols and removing reliance on them are steps in achieving the discipline of simplicity. Many people feel this instinctively when they strive to eliminate habits or products that dominate their lives. And it is certainly true that people who have achieved simplistic living clearly demonstrate it outwardly for all to see. The honesty, openness, generosity and serenity displayed by such people are admirable traits that many seek.

But as Foster makes clear, it is not sufficient to adopt the outward behavior itself. For if the results become the goal, the pathway too often becomes a legalistic set of new behaviors that are just as constricting and unsatisfying as those just ended. Money and possessions are not guarantors of happiness, but neither is the monastic tradition. Forcing oneself into a straightjacket of shalls and shall nots produces bitterness and an obsessive attention to details. What possible value can there be in replacing 'too much' with 'not enough'? Simplicity, then, is not absence, but moderation, a moderation striving for an optimum where needs are satisfied without giving in to desires. In this way there is a balance, a wholesome state where craving morphs into fulfillment and anxiety gives way to trust.

So the outward signs of Simplicity are not the result of rules. Rather, outward visibility properly reflects an inward state of mind, a peaceful devotion to righteous things, an alignment with God's will. And it is pursuit of this internal focus that is the correct application of the discipline of simplicity. Bad habits are released, consuming activities are ended, idols are toppled, not by force and subjugation of personal will, but by intentional election that replaces them with attention to divine thought, with concentration on His Kingdom. This, in turn, becomes the driving force of outward change - external practices conform to the internal agenda and daily life takes on heavenly purposes. Old fears subside as faith in God's provision grows; new confidence in holistic endeavors pushes out the frantic race to grab mirages of security; and best of all, the freedom so sought for by personal effort is received as a divine gift.

May God's gift of freedom in simplicity be acceptable to you.