Necessary Simplicity

 "He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
   and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
   and to walk humbly with your God?"  Micah 6:6-8 NRSV

This walk through the chronic health wilderness has helped me learn that I have a gift for making things more complicated than they need to be :-)

If we're planning something as a family, I'm the one who keeps adding ideas to the list, until (usually) my husband will give me a look that says "Really?"  When I go back over the plans I see that I've taken something pretty simple and made it difficult.

I can easily do that with my 'to do' list every day.  I'll keep adding and adding until, eventually, it is a list that would tax a healthy person, much less me.    I also have to confess that I could easily have this tendency in my preaching.  

A gift that this chronic health time has given me is the gift of necessary simplicity. I must simplify because I haven't got the energy for anything else. 

Necessary simplicity is not an easy thing, especially if you are a person that is used to accomplishing much in a day/week/year.  Necessary simplicity forces us to go to the heart of the matter and do that which is most important, and then leave the rest.  Sometimes, I barely have the energy for the most important things-- it is then when I find out what is really important.

We're experiencing more of the heat and humidity again this week in this part of the US.  Our family had planned to go camping at one of our favorite places, but with the lack of Air Conditioning (and by the wise help of my husband) I realized that I physically couldn't make this trip work. It would be too taxing on my body. 

I sulked for days, upset that I had ruined our plans.  Necessary simplicity kicked in, and we've made plans to have a fun "camping at home" kind of week now.

As another example, I've had some pretty difficult health days this week-- and today is shaping up to be another one.  Now, I could (and used to) lament about not being able to accomplish anything.  Necessary simplicity has freed me up this morning to get to the heart of the matter...and then figure out what is absolutely necessary for me to do today.  Then the choice is mine.  I can complain and push myself beyond my limits, or I can accept doing what I'm able to do at my own pace. I think it is the difference between "my will be done"  and "thy will be done". 

How are you today?  What are your aspirations as you face this day?  Are they realistic to how you are feeling?  How might simplifying your plans be beneficial to you and to others?

However you face this day, may you know the gentle, embracing love of the God who is there to help you face today.

We have heard that it is a gift to be simple Lord, but as complex people, we sometimes make walking with you to be something very complicated.  Today let us breathe, care for our bodies, minds and spirits, and help us to focus on what really matters today.  Amen.