Often on paper, it appears that I have time to do lots of things. However, reality (and my emotions) reveal that I can really only do a few things well each day. When I am stressed or too busy, it doesn’t take long for me to recognize my desperate need for simplicity in my schedule and in my heart.
While we try to go beyond our human limitations by stuffing our schedule, we may be missing the peace and simplicity that God has invited us to. Cultivating simplicity in any realm of life requires a humble acceptance of our finite human limits and bending our whole selves toward the heart of God.
What better season to start this work of simplicity than Advent? Advent is the four week season preceding Christmas. It is a season defined by waiting and preparation, by anticipation and hope. It is a season to slow down, take stock, and set your face toward Jesus. It is a season where we celebrate the gracious act of an infinite God incarnating as a finite Son of Man, Jesus.
Here are three ways you can practice simplicity this Advent season:
Mind
Read Luke 1:26-38
According to Daniel Levitan in an article in Fast Company titled, “Why it’s so hard to pay attention, explained by science,” “In 2011, Americans took in five times as much information every day as they did in 1986—the equivalent of 174 newspapers.” When we are consuming almost 174 newspapers worth of information every day, we should not be surprised that our capacity to do deep work internally and relationally is stifled.
Surrender: Let’s take in less information this week, check out the 7-Day Phone Freedom Challenge or just commit to less texting, less news, less emails, and less T.V.
Invite: As we clear space in our minds, we are making room to meditate on the things of God. In this passage, we see Mary meditate on God’s word through his messenger Gabriel. She listens and is deeply troubled. She wonders and asks a sensible question. Finally, she believes what she hears.
In your free moments this week, I encourage you to meditate on scripture and choose to believe it. Consider meditating on a passage that fills you with awe and questions. Don’t read it alone, but consult a commentary, watch a BibleProject video, or discuss it with a friend who knows the Bible. Pray that the Holy Spirit would guide your meditation and fill your heart with joy. Then, believe in your mind and heart what you have read.
Mouth
Read 1 Samuel 2:1-10 & Luke 1:39-56
Mary bursts into song. Though she trusted God at His Word, it is as if it has all become more real with Elizabeth’s praises.
“Arrogance does not come from her mouth,” but humble rejoicing (1 Samuel 2:3). Just as Mary exudes the virtue of simplicity in her mind, she also reveals the virtue of simplicity in her words. Because she knows the story of her people and the story of her God, her words are unwavering and true. She can sing of God’s promises with boldness and joy with a single-mindedness that is afforded to her confidence in the Lord. Simplicity is the melody of her song because she only has to follow the music of her Savior.
Surrender: Cultivating simplicity with our words begins with recognizing our humble condition. Consider all the times you’ve spoken out of pride, anger, or haughtiness. Consider the times you’ve given your highly critical opinion when you honestly didn’t know much about the topic. Consider the ways you use your words as a defense or a guard.
What if you said something different?
Invite: Instead of taking sides, professing judgment, and saying things we don’t understand, let’s pray for the Holy Spirit to cleanse our hearts and move our mouths. Let’s pray for the fruit of the Spirit so our words are ones of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Move
Read Luke 2:8-21
After the shepherds receive the good news about the Messiah born in Bethlehem lying in a manger, they hurry to meet him. They said, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened which the Lord has made known to us” (Luke 2:15). Their evening adventure didn’t stop there.
After meeting the long-promised Savior, the shepherds reported the good news to anyone they came across. The sweet relief of a Savior moved their feet in love.
Surrender: In your rush and hurry, are you prioritizing productivity over presence? Are you moving about from one thing to another without ever really moving anywhere? Surrender one thing on your to-do list today.
Invite: Like the shepherds, be available to do something unplanned and “unproductive.” Call an old friend on the phone, go for a walk around your neighborhood, or do a workout from RevWell TV. Move from anxiety and stress to simplicity and joy this Advent.
In the comments below, share how you will practice simplicity this Advent. Which tip can you try today?
Gabrielle Wenos is a Content Manager at Revelation Wellness. She graduated from Platoon 21 and lives in Wyoming with her husband and son. You can read more of her work on her blog, All These Things Blog.
Everything You Need This Season
What if the weeks before Christmas were marked by rhythms of reflection, peace, and preparation? What if Christmas and the twelve days that followed were marked with unhurried celebration and fellowship?
We don’t want you to add more to your hectic schedule.
But, after reading through these devotionals, resources, and a whole lot of God’s Word, you may just be compelled to adopt new rhythms and priorities during these weeks of joy.
9 Responses
Thank you for this promptly reminder. Re-Focusing on the whole reason of this season, really the whole reason for every season! Jesus is as simple as we can get.
Amen! Thanks for sharing, Haley! You’re so right!
I plan on enjoying every christmas light I can seek out! Remembering the light that was sent to save us from our darkness! Merry Christmas
Amen! Thanks for sharing, Jamie! Merry Christmas!
This is so good! love the part about streamlining our information intake. Friends and i have been talking about the fact that we simply cannot consume all the books, podcasts, articles, etc. that we would like to. it’s not within our limits as human beings even if that’s all that we did with all our time! instead, we’re being intentional with choosing a few leaders that we feel god has shared with us (for me, it’s this ministry, jennie allen, and ruth haley barton) and focusing on learning and actually implementing what we take away from their content. hard to do when we are always told that we can “do it all”, but so necessarily for our sanity 🙂
THanks for sharing, Lauren! That is so awesome we are on the same wavelength 🙂 I love listening to podcasts and reading, but I definitely can be overloaded with new ideas and I haven’t even processed the old ones!
Well you just hit the nail i
on the head with this entire writing.
god has been speaking and showing me to live my life with all of these as a focus. so thank you for letting him lead you to write these words of wisdom. I gave been watching my grandson for 2 weeks and walked away from my very “productive” job. presence…ahhh…im loving it.
all of this is going to be my focus for 2021 and moving forward.
it’s truly where god wants me. i am 58 and you truly just get tired of running.
i applaud anyone who focuses on any of these moving forward. we need to be the example forvt ine little ones out there on these things.
thank you again for putting it all into words!! such a gift!!
love, janet
Amen! Thank you for sharing, Janet. Let’s practice simplicity in 2021!
Thanks for sharing that Gabby!