It is more than just interesting, it is revealing, I think, that among other definitions, the word simple also has the connotation for lacking mental acuteness, unlearned, ignorant, unsophisticated, naïve, simpleminded. It is easy for some people to dismiss those who are committed to living in all ways more simply as being simplistic if not simpletons. And yet, perhaps without meaning to they reveal something important though quite different from the intent of their snub. It is true for those of us apprenticing with Jesus that we are indeed called to an intentional simplicity that, while not making us immune to the “things” of this world, makes us disinterested in the faux gospel, sophistication, and accoutrements that are peddled, promoted, and valued by so many who are driving the dominant culture.
To practice incarnation no less than resurrection, to be a disciple rather than an admirer or fan of Jesus, involves becoming more acutely aware of the nemeses of simplicity and what matters most. Most if not all of these nemeses are severely bound by issues of control whereas simplicity is characterized by letting go, by a spirituality of relinquishment. Whereas simplicity, which is kin to poverty of spirit, leads to freedom or what we might call the un-possessed heart, the enemies of simplicity have a way of holding people hostage to the drive to possess and to have more. These lifestyles are consciously and unconsciously driven by the fallacies that “I am in control or in charge,” “I am what I own,” “I am what I accomplish,” or “I am what others think of me.” They play out in life patterns that are commonly recognized as busyness and being over-extended, acceleration and multi-tasking, over consumption and accumulation, unchecked greed and unexamined neediness, hidden attachments and unacknowledged addictions.
A commitment to simplicity in all aspects of one’s life requires living a spirituality of relinquishment. Practicing simplicity invites us to clear out all the clutter that kidnaps our heart and steals it away from its true, life-giving purpose.♦
REFLECTION EXERCISE:
During this season of Advent, make some time to take inventory of your life. What is essential? What is non-essential? What truly enlivens and needs to be nurtured? What needs to be let go of and thrown out?