The Simple Life

Our American culture makes it quite difficult to live a simple life. (And I don’t mean the simple life of the reality show with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richey!) Simplifying our lives doesn’t automatically come from living without money. It’s more about living with focus and without so much busyness; we can live on a farm or in poverty and have cluttered lives.

What is at the heart of a simple life? Why are we so busy and exhausted?

The Hamilton Perspective

What absolute bedlam and joy were shown last night at the Texas Rangers’ game when they beat the hated Yankees in the 6^th game of the ACLS! Fans, players, and Ranger announcers were visibly overwhelmed by the 6-1 win, which sends them to their first World Series. I had great fun even though I was sitting at home alone with my two dogs watching the game. It helped to share the joy of other fans by text, tweets, and Facebook. It was simply an amazing evening, one I never thought would happen.

So what is the Hamilton perspective?

Quest for God's Map

My family will tell you that I love to have a map when I travel so that I can know exactly where I am, where I am going, and how to get there.

The other day I googled an address in Oklahoma. After I left and began to look at my printout, I realized that there was no map, only directions for where and when to turn. I had a fuzzy idea of where I was headed (Oklahoma is north) but I lacked the big picture about my journey. As I perused the directions, I noticed that a turn simply said 1^st Street. There could be lots of 1^st Streets in Oklahoma! I wanted a map.

Our lives are lived without maps although most of us yearn for one. Do you want God to give you precise directions to a named destination?

Risky Love

When we give our hearts away to someone else, we lose control over what happens. We risk hurt and loss because we never know how it will turn out. I’m sure all of us have loved and lost at some point; dumped by a guy, turned on by a friend, or left behind through death.  The pain of loss can be great at times, and the more we love the deeper the grief. To protect ourselves from situations that may lead to hurt, we may isolate our hearts, not allowing ourselves to connect on a deep level unless we feel safe and certain. But what do we miss by allowing our fears to drive us?

My friend Jenn is losing her struggle with breast cancer. For the past year she has done all humanly possible to fight the disease and has asked God to do a miracle. For reasons that only God knows, He hasn’t given a miracle and her battle is almost over. Although she will experience the complete healing for which we prayed, it will be as she enters the presence of Jesus and not here.

In the midst of her valiant fight, God sent John.

Resting in God's Lap

In God’s providence, we have two Westies; we got Libby as a puppy, but Maggie was a rescue off the street. Although they generally get along great, Libby is definitely jealous of any attention given Maggie. After all, my lap was her sole territory for over three years! When she sees Maggie there or hears me talk to her, she wants the same. Of course, it’s available; all she has to do is jump in my lap!

Often as Christians, we observe the peace of believers who walk closely with God and desire the same. I have been there as I sensed a tranquil faith in others. Jealous of the contentment they enjoy, we often do nothing to achieve it for ourselves by moving toward God. “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” (Jam. 4:8). I know that I get too busy, too distracted, and too committed to the priorities of the culture to invest quality time with God, to get on His lap, so to speak.

How do we intentionally draw closer to God?

Cleaning out Cobwebs in the Heart

I spent some time cleaning under my patio furniture last Saturday. There was a lot of dirt and many leaves caught there by cobwebs. It was impossible to simply sweep it all away; I had to disentangle the webs first.

 

I considered how difficult it is it clean out my heart, and I wondered what holds those sins and weaknesses there like cobwebs. In my case, wrong thinking is major. Maybe you also find it easy to return to old patterns of thought, which lead to negative attitudes about others. Possibly you blame them for your own sins and mistakes because of past experience. Maybe you react to someone based on what you imagine she is thinking rather than her actual words.

I tend to be very impatient with a certain person. Why?

Discouragement--the Dream Killer

Sometimes it’s just one of those weeks. You know what I mean—the ones when everything goes wrong and we begin to wonder if we are even supposed to be where we are, doing what we are doing. Life doesn’t go as expected, and we aren’t the people we should be. Maybe it’s time to give up on ministry, to quit trying to love that difficult person, or to ________. (Fill in your situation.)

This week has left me discouraged. Do I give up on the dream to put my leadership material in book form?  I have experienced disappointment on two fronts: my failure to love someone as Christ would and my inability to see much fruit from my time and efforts. I feel like God could better use someone else—someone who doesn’t hurt others, someone with name recognition.

Buried Secrets

Recent reports of another spiritual leader’s failure are troubling; his attempts to bury his secrets only multiplied his sins with hypocrisy. I am concerned for his immature followers who may struggle to trust God when the man posing as His representative isn’t trustworthy. Integrity is essential for leaders of all kinds, but especially for us as Christians; we must be the same people both publicly and privately.

You may not call yourself a spiritual leader, but you move others closer to or further from God —your children, your co-workers, your neighbors, your friends, or an entire church. How you walk teaches them either that the church is full of hypocrites or that it includes real people with real struggles who honestly face their sins and shortcomings and choose to grow more like Jesus by God’s grace.

   

I am not so naïve to think that we live out Christ’s example perfectly. I certainly haven’t! Leaders aren’t faultless, but we should be transparent. Taking responsibility for who we really are allows God and our followers to give us the grace to change.