Simplicity

As we have recently celebrated Easter and the Resurrection of Christ, I pray we don’t forget and quickly brush aside everything this past season of Lent has entailed, sweeping our Savior away until the season of Advent is upon us. I hope that we reflect on the meaning of the bread & the wine daily, and that remember that we are the hope of the world.

I’ve spoken about fasting before, and also on Lent and these two posts will show you my heart on the matter. So for this year, I again had a bit of a struggle of what to lay down at the foot of the cross and what to pick up. As I talked about last week, I’ve been grappling with having a gentle & quite spirit. So for the past 40 days, I’ve tried to focus on cultivating such a spirit. On filling my heart with His words, His truth. Of speaking only when needed, not with haste, and with love. Of having not only my words, but my actions, and my life to reflect simplicity. Something I continually strive for, but truly opened up to the Lord to work within me just recently in all areas of my life. Simplicity in our diet by cutting out processed or refined items as much as possible. Simplicity in my wardrobe by keeping quality items over building quantity, and staying true to the basics and not just trends. Simplicity in our possessions by only buying/keeping that which is necessary…

I read this post by Rachel Held Evans on ideas for Lent a while back, and while I tried to incorporate several of the items suggested into my journey at one point or another, the one I have really hit on is number ten. Giving away forty items that I don’t need. Honestly, there’s certainly a great deal more than only forty items that I could spare in my life. And currently, while we’re still in the moving process, this fact is ever more apparent. Now, I love to simplify the clutter (so much in fact that I made a guide of how to do so in 30 days!) but this season I wanted to approach this simplicity from a different direction. Centering it on Christ. And focusing on other’s needs instead of just on my excess.