What is Simplicity?

There is no missional living apart from simplicity. Jesus was not caught up in the accumulation of stuff. Nor did he allow the tyranny of the urgent to catch him in its controlling grasp.

Too often, I struggle to remain free from things that want to thwart my pursuit of His mission. Simplicity is a prime asset in missional living. When I am controlled by neither calendared events nor costly things, I am free to prioritize my life according to the will of the Other.

Every so often, I need to go back and read Richard Foster’s Freedom of Simplicity. The rereading is not because I have forgotten, but because I need to be reminded of the possibility of living in a way that runs counter to contemporary culture.

Whether I am reading Foster or going back to St. Francis, I am reminded that value has little to do with cost. In fact, some of the most valuable things in life are those which money cannot buy and death cannot take away.


Today, I am thinking again about my lifestyle. I am inventorying my calendar and possessions. I am asking myself what I am holding on to that has become a stumbling block to my pursuit of God’s purposes.

Cluttered closets and busy calendars may be symptoms of a deadly spiritual disease. I am not at ease without simplicity. That is a place where I evidence faith in the Father’s capacity to meet my needs. It is the place where the song of a common bird becomes valuable. It is the place where my library card is as important as my Visa card.

It is the place where I can set aside a day to be alone with God in Sabbath rest. It is a Quietplace of simplicity that frees my soul of any pursuit that separates me from knowing God.