Recently I have been interacting with my distant mentor, Richard Foster.  Our discussions have been centered around his book, The Celebration of Discipline.  His chapter on The Discipline of Simplicity really spoke to me about my daily fight for joy and how my outer possessions can be a constant force against that joy.  Foster opens the chapter with these words, “Simplicity is freedom.  Duplicity is bondage.  Simplicity brings joy and balance” (p.69).  Now my external things can impact my inner sense of freedom.  The Bible warns us of the bondage of things.  However, the real discipline of simplicity begins as an inward reality that then seeps out to my outward lifestyle.  I may want to downsize my things to free the soul.  However, to work from the inside out is to have things but not be owned by them.

We live in a world that attempts to define us by the exteriors.  I am put into a group by what I wear, what I drive, where I live, and the lifestyle that I choose.  But God, I am told, does not focus on the externals but looks on the heart.  This drove the Christian mystic, Thomas Kelly, to find the Divine Center.  When we are most satisfied with God, and as a result, we are seeking His kingdom, we find the Divine Center.  The immediate result is freedom from anxiety.  This freedom from anxiety is characterized by three inner attitudes:

1)Everything that I have is a gift;

2)Everything that I have is cared for by God;

3)Everything that I have is available to others.

This type of simplicity keeps us from worrying about our stuff.  It keeps us from overworking to the detriment of other areas of our life to have more stuff.  It keeps us from sacrificing our families on the altar of accumulated stuff.  It grants us the peace to sleep at night because we are not worried about our stuff.  It liberates us to spend money on things that are useful rather than status giving.  It frees us from the ever-running treadmill of trying to impress people.  And more than anything, it liberates us to be ready to give – which is the greatest blessing that life offers.

So how do I get there?  Where will simplicity come from or how will I pursue it?  Foster offers the following:

Focus upon the kingdom produces the inward reality . . . The only thing that can be central to the Spiritual

Discipline of simplicity is to seek first God’s kingdom and the righteousness, both personal and social,

of that kingdom.  Worthy as all other concerns may be, the moment they become the focus of our efforts              

they becomeidolatry.  The person who does not seek the kingdom first does not seek it at all . . . (p.76).

What does that look like for me?  It means starting my day with a God focus.  It means opening my hands and heart to the Holy Spirit for a fresh filling for that day.  It means learning to live and lead from the core of what God says about my worth as a son, not from the place of external measures.  It means making daily choices to live with less and enjoy what I have more.  It means living with open hands to bless my neighbor whenever it is possible.

Simplicity does not happen over night, but the journey is rewarding.  Jesus said it this way – and all these things will be added to you!!