I don’t know about you, but when I come home to a house filled with toys or things just out of place, I find no peace.  I really want things put back where they belong and things quiet when I walk in the door. when I consider what that is about, it is really just another indicator that I desire to live   simply.  Our lives seem to be filled with many things and many activities. Because of this we we are unable to spend time on the things that are truly important.

     When we follow the path of the world we want more and we do more.  Take a look at your home.  Look at the things that you have acquired. Consider how important they were to you at one point, or how often you use them.  I have done that very thing, and found much that I no longer use or rarely use. Think about all the things that are stored away , that would take hours or days to get to if you wanted to.  How often have you gone looking for something only to find something else and say,” that’s where it was”.  Not to mention having to pay to store them, or the effort to move them at some point.

     Remember back before answering machines and voicemail, or e-mail and mobile phones?  Yes, those things have in some ways made life easier, but they also have increased stress in our lives by keeping us in the “urgent” mode.  Because we seem to have immediate access, we want an immediate response.  Having some of the latest and greatest also seems to have become important to us, thus adding to the clutter in our every day.

     If we desire to have time for the important, we need to make intentional choices.  Choices about what or whom we truly value, what we need versus want, and how we want to spend our time.  We need to ask God to help us, because the messages of the world keep us from what is important.  We need to imprint upon our hearts, minds and souls, the things that God values.

     So how do we get off of the treadmill?  How do we scale back to gain perspective?  How might that time, money, and energy, be used? Do you desire the simple life?

Picture: Simple, by dawnzy58