The Discipline of Simplicity

Series is a book review and study of Richard Foster’s Book, Celebration of Discipline. All quotes from the book are Foster unless otherwise denoted.

This topic is one that I yearn for the most. I relish the days of simplicity in my time out of the country, surviving living with only what we needed, free from superfluous items that all too often tend to cloud our judgement. And while I desire to unclutter my life, I am caught by the very real truth that I have a propensity for hanging onto things that have sentimental value. Which generally leads me to the question as the years pass – Do I really really need that item to maintain my memory of the event? Do I really need that outfit from middle school simply because it fits? Do I really need that paper I wrote in Spanish class on penguins? And if I’m honest with myself, I don’t need these things. And that’s the real point here.

The Christian Discipline of simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward lifestyle. It is something that first we must come to learn in our hearts and in our minds before we can ever begin to practice in our lives. Experiencing the inward reality liberates us outwardly. It frees us from the notion that we need more… and bigger and better and newer… I love how Foster puts it when speaking on this – “We buy things we do not want to impress people we do not like.” Wow. How true is this with trends. Especially for women. We dress to impress other women so much of the time. We attempt to keep up with the themes in society for fear of being judged – or pitied – because of what we wear and what we own.

We should take exception to the modern psychosis that defines people by how much they can produce or what they earn, and instead focus on the heart and subsequent actions of the person as defining characteristics. We, as followers of Christ, are to be known by the love we have for others. Foster says that “until we see how unbalanced our culture has become at this point, we will not be able to deal with the mammon spirit within ourselves nor will we desire christian simplicity.” And I couldn’t agree more. Unless we see that when we stop and think about it, we really don’t need all too much, and the message society crams down our throat differs quite greatly from that, we will never truly be able to let go and live more simply.

The quote above is so important to remember. Possessions, whatever they may, are not in and of themselves bad things. It’s when we place the importance of these items higher than we ought that we fall into deceiving ourselves that if only we had “x” we would truly be happy. Fill in the blank with whatever is controlling your affections. Asceticism renounces possessions. Simplicity sets possessions in proper perspective. (Ascetic = adjective: strictly self-disciplined and avoiding any sensory pleasures or luxuries.)Without simplicity, we will either capitulate to the “mammon” spirit of this present evil age, or we fall into an un-christian legalistic asceticism. God gives us all we need materially (Deut 8:7-9, 17) and until we truly understand and desire to be “complete” regardless our material wealth, we will inevitably fall slave to one of the two extremes.

The Bible and Simplicity

Several examples in the Old and New Testaments show our idolatrous attachment to wealth:

Lev 25:23 | Psalm 62:10 | Prov 11:28

Luke 6:20,24 ; Luke 12:15, 33 ; | 1 Tim 3:3, 8 ; 1 Tim 6:9, 17-19 | Eph 5:5 | 1 Cor 5:11

Yet we must be willing to sell everything to gain everything (Matt 13:45). We cannot serve both money (and all that comes with that) and God (Luke 16:13). And yet, in our extremely affluent culture, we find ourselves drawn to the “things of this world” to satisfy our desires and to make us happy. How often we forget that true joy come from the one true Creator. How often I find myself boasting of deals, and purchases, and priding myself on the compliments I receive on the material items I have, rather than seeking to rid my life of extraneous items that ultimately are keeping me from serving my Lord.

Of all the disciplines simplicity is the most visible, and therefore the most open to corruption. Yet scripture tells us “but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” (Matt 6:25-33). The central point for the discipline of simplicity is to seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness of his kingdom first, and then everything necessary will come in it’s proper order. When material possession are our first priority, it is reflected in how we live, how we serve, and how we love. But, (how I love when there is a “but”) when we focus upon the kingdom, it produces the inward reality that leads to the outward expression. For without the inward reality, we will degenerate into legalistic trivia. Worthy as all other concerns may be, the moment they become the focus of our efforts they become idolatry. The inward reality of simplicity involves a life of joyful unconcern for possessions. So how do we go about this?

The Inner Attitudes of Simplicity:

1. To receive what we have as a gift from God. We have each been blessed with certain talents and have each experienced different life situations. Each moment is an opportunity, and we can use what the Lord has entrusted with in in our lives to either further the kingdom, or push others away from it.

2. To know that it is God’s business, and not ours, to care for what we have – it is after all on loan to us during our limited time here. We are foolish if we think we have done all of on our own accord. To believe that it’s our stuff and He could care less what we do with what belongs to us. He intimately wants us to be good stewards of what we have been entrusted with.

3. To have our goods available to others. If we have been given much, we are to in turn give much. We should become well versed in sharing what we have been blessed with rather than hoarding it for ourselves alone. This includes what we have in excess of our needs of course, but I reckon the very essentials in our lives should be offered as well. How much more does it mean when we give out of love from little rather than from a place of too much?

The Outward Expressions of Simplicity

The inner reality is not really a reality until there is an outward expression. So here are a few ways to express that practically every day as we live out this life, moving towards simplicity.