Whatever Happened to the Simple Life?
Never in the history of mankind, save for Noah, have so many things happened at one time which collectively test the resolve of those walking for God. Everywhere and on all fronts, the pressures exerted daily to compromise the integrity of what is right and proper are enormous. The deafening roar of the multitudes clamoring for "more and more" makes it nearly impossible to lead a simple life.
We are surrounded by a world which is very unsettled, unhappy and unwilling to subject itself to its Creator. Spurred on by promises of self glory, self promotion, self wealth and power; most people spend a lifetime striving for success. They sell their very soul to the gods of fame and fortune along with the souls of their families and friends. The relentless pursuit of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow drives saints and sinners alike to ungodly lifestyles and horrendous choices in their lives.
Of all the people who draw breath on this earth, those who command my highest respect are the ones who have voluntarily taken the "vow of poverty". Inspired by Saint Francis, those who take this vow commit themselves to a life free of material possessions and devoted to prayer and service to others. Those whom I know personally live at a beautiful and isolated location in Arkansas. They lead a simple life of prayer, meditation and service.
It takes a very special kind of person to only wear a robe, live in a hermitage with only the barest of furnishings, spend four to six hours every day in prayer and study of God's Word and for some, to be celibate. When I was thinking of selling everything and moving there a few years ago, without exception it was met with scorn and accusations of "running away from life's responsibilities" or being extremely selfish. Such reaction deeply hurt back then and I am sure the reaction would be even stronger now.
Why should someone who does not desire this world's fame or fortune be forced to participate in all that produces it? Not everyone's conscience allows them to go fight in times of war. They are considered "conscientious objectors". I feel that such a category should be made for those whose conscience does not allow them to participate in commerce strictly for material gain. Those who do not need or want what this world has to offer should be allowed to live their faith and be supported not badgered for being "irresponsible".
I recently had to trade in my van due to "issues" which were going to present huge problems shortly. I was in utter shock walking around the local car lot as I saw new hybrid SUVs with price tags of $55,000 with no discounts or incentives. While countless people cannot sell their older SUVs, a new one can command top dollar due to being able to get a few more miles per gallon.
In 1958 my parents bought the home I ended up living in for the next 13 years for $9,000. This was, at the time, just about the average price for a house. A brand new house of course would cost a little more. Fifty years later a new SUV costs 6 times more than what my parents paid for a house they ended up living in for 40 years.
We live in a materialistic and "me" oriented society. Our highways are clogged with supersized vehicles all vying for first place in the "look at me" category of vanity. Our subdivisions are filled with oversized houses that all look alike. Yet, the American Dream dictates that a family must live in one of those houses to be considered successful. Our schools are brimming with teenagers who absolutely MUST be wearing a particular name brand pair of jeans or shirt or they will die of humiliation. The days of kids wearing hand me down clothes evidently ended around the time of Noah's flood.
We have a basement filled to overflowing with brand new name brand clothes that we re-sell. We have 3 nieces and 2 nephews (all teenagers) who have birthdays between late June and early August. When it came time to get them presents we were presented with only one option; gift cards. There was no interest whatsoever in even considering our inventory. They received "stuff" from our basement whether they wanted it or not.
What has happened to our culture? No one seems to be happy unless they have unlimited access to whatever is "cool" at that moment. This holds true for adults as well as kids. I had someone laugh at my cell phone the other day for it was "ugly" and only could make and receive phone calls. I just said, "Duh, what is a phone supposed to be for?" Wrong thing to ask; I got quite a lecture on how phones are now miniature computers etc.
Next February, the government has mandated that anyone wanting to watch television must have a television set or a box able to receive digital signals. Thousands of elderly people in this country will scratch their collective heads in a few months when suddenly their televisions won't work. Thousands of sons and daughters will receive frantic calls to come "fix" their parents and grandparents television sets.
As much as I would love to sell everything and move in with my friends in Arkansas, I know that is not something that is available or desired by God at this point in my life. The best I can do is try to keep this life simple and try to eliminate distractions and unnecessary clutter of all types. We live in the country which helps greatly in keeping things simple.
I thank God for the times He has allowed me to have where I have been able to live, to some degree, the lifestyle St. Francis would have condoned. Anyone and everyone should strive for simplicity in their lives through more and more time in prayer and meditation upon God's Word and less and less dependence upon the world to be happy.
A simple life is a fulfilled life. A complicated and complex life is a distracted life. "Give me more of You" should be our daily cry to Jesus and at the same time we should strive to give the world "less and less of our heart and soul". We are truly IN this world, but we most certainly are not OF it.
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Author: blessings2you 
Location: Warrenton Missouri USA
Gender: Male
Age: 57
Blog Entries: 980 (archive)
Blog Comments: 1443
September 2010
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god called me to serve him when i was 16 years old while on a church work trip in new mexico in 1969. in the 40 years since; i attended bible school/leadership training, been ordained to the christian ministry and worked full time for a non-denominational ministry for nearly ten...
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in 1969 god stepped in and transformed my life as a sixteen year old teenager. after a couple of years of intense emotional ups and downs, i decided i needed a firm foundation in my life that went beyond emotional experiences. it was the decision to become involved with a...
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