The central point for the Discipline of Simplicity is to seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness of His Kingdom FIRST and then everything necessary will come in its proper order (R Foster)
I had been hugely looking forward to the month of simplicity – not just as a way of shedding a whole load of possessions, but also as a way of refining what and who my time and energy is invested in. Despite feeling like a very ‘practical’ discipline, there have been implications on my thought life and prayer life, working backwards from the practical actions. Several books (Celebration of Discipline by R Foster, Freedom of Simplicity by R Foster and In Celebration of Simplicity by Penelope Wilcock) were hugely helpful in providing a well-rounded guide to practicing simplicity.
Simplicity frees us from the tyranny of the self, the tyranny of things and the tyranny of people (R Foster).
The nature of my relationship with myself, with my belongings and with other people, shapes the way I engage with and prioritise my relationship with God and my engagement in His Kingdom. Foster lists some helpful questions to ask ourselves in relation to the three ‘tyrannies’ he describes, and working through these honestly was helpfully revealing of where I am building an ‘imposter’ (to quote Brennan Manning) and where I am able to be simply and honestly myself. Much of the discipline of simplicity seemed to call me to greater levels of integrity in how I spend my money, how I interact with people, and how I view myself.
One of the questions was as follows: Can I allow an unfavourable comment about myself to stand, without any need to straighten out the matter?…
My initial response could be described as generously optimistic; in reality, when a few days later I found myself in this exact situation, my response was far from pleasant. My overwhelming concern was to be vindicated, and to prove that I was in the right, even though in the end, it didn’t really matter either way. I reflected that I was far more concerned with justifying myself, than I was able to sit peacefully in the knowledge of the truth.
The Spiritual Disciplines (of which simplicity is a vital part) are the conduit through which our obedience flows; they are visible ways by which we express our discipleship (Foster, Freedom of Simplicity).
Considering simplicity in regards to how we live and in particular, how we spend our money, has had the most tangible impact on life. It struck me that simple and careful lifestyle choices proclaims liberty to those who are oppressed: when I choose to buy food from sustainable and fairly traded sources, when I buy products that encourage good stewardship of the land and animals, I proclaim freedom through my spending choices, to those who have no such choice in how they live. I stop funding the consumerism which sustains so much poverty in other parts of the world. I can contribute to the removing of limitations in the lives of many others, when I choose to embrace some limitations in my own life. For me, this means I am now buying foodstuffs that are grown in Britain (as much as possible) and from a company who manufacturers food in a way that benefits the land, the livestock, and their employees. And I have started making bread – as a way of slowing down life, limiting our intake, and making sure that what we consume is as good for our bodies as possible. It has required research, time and probably more money, to make choices which steward our world, our resources and our bodies better. It is small changes that prophetically proclaim freedom to those who are captive due to the complexity of life in the Western world that I live in.
Simplicity – liberation for us and others; a dedication to working out what is means to live faithful lives to God and His Kingdom in our day.
Image: https://quotefancy.com/quote/37406/Mahatma-Gandhi-Live-simply-so-that-others-may-simply-live
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