Living a less complicated life

Que Sera, Sera which translates to Whatever will be, will be.

All the thoughts I consolidated here are from the great book of Barry C. Black, "Nothing to Fear". Sharing great realizations since it's halfway to 2019! (Update, almost Q1 of 2020!) Are you excited? How are your plans? Everything coming into fruition? Some may say yes, some may say no, but hey! Be happy because it's part of God's plan! So this wonderful day, I'll be sharing about how to live a less complicated life.

How do we choose simplicity, Hans Hoffman, a twentieth-century abstract expressionist painter, defined simplicity as "the ability...to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak." Can we do that? Can we eliminate the unnecessary in our lives, streamlining to the true essentials?

I have many friends who speak longingly of simpler times, we had very little and were so much happier. I remember those days when life was never complicated. But I also realized, isn't it that we are just the only ones complicating it?

"the ability...to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak."

Sometimes God will make a way to eliminate the unnecessary so necessary may speak, I'm reflecting on it... still I am. Every time I think about it, i can't stop being fascinated by how amazing our God is.

Why is choosing simplicity so important? First, because it keeps us from being distracted by complexity.

Have you ever experienced being in a situation that is so complex? How did you get there in the first place? What's the trigger? I guess this calls for a separate article but we all have our stories. Things are meant to happen for other beginnings/endings to happen as well.

In short, opportunities for spiritual encounters are often missed because we're distracted by complexity. But in the end it's also a blessing in disguise, but next time we can be more discerning of our decisions and always seek God's "true" yes.

Learning to say no...

Life is not measured by how much you own.

No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are never content. Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.

God desires that we learn to appreciate what we have. In Colossians 3:1, we're admonished, "Since you have been raised new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor.

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. We are not to number our weeks, months, years, or decades; life is too fragile and brief. We're told to number our days. This suggests to me the importance of enjoying the spice of every day life.

Lighten up my dear friend! :)

Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything." In short, lighten up.

We also have this astonishing command in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." Lighten up. When we learn to know the major things that really matter, we'll discover that our lives are simpler and more manageable.

Forget the past.

We can also uncomplicate our lives by practicing selective amnesia. In other words, forget the past. In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul writes, "I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."

What should you forget? For starters, we should forget past failures, for they do not define us. The apostle Paul had persecuted Christians and sought them killed, but he put that negativity behind him.

We should also forget past success, not content to rest on our laurels, but always strive to accomplish more for God's Kingdom!

Walk with integrity.

"If you tell the truth, you don't have remember what you said." This is one way of advising us to simplify our lives by walking with integrity. As it says in Proverbs, "whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out."

Life is much easier and simpler when we walk with integrity.

Keep your eyes on the prize.

I know the one thing we did right was the day we began to fight; keep your eyes on the prize, hold on." When we have a prize, a goal, or a target, it certainly makes life complicated. Paul stayed focused, on the reward ahead of him. Learning that his execution was imminent, he declared, "The time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Setting goals is a good way to simplify our lives and choose integrity. Those who aim at nothing are bound to hit it every time, but goals enable us to channel our and time more wisely. They motivate us to keep our eyes on the prize. You can pursue simplicity and integrity by following said principles.

Now please let me pray for you(the one reading this)

PURPOSEFUL PRAYER

God our refuge and strength, give us reverence for your greatness. May our awe of you lead us to the gate of true wisdom. Help us to submit to your plans, expecting you to direct our paths. Lord, give us the wisdom to choose simplicity, refusing to make life more complicated than it needs to be. May we receive your reproof our tendency to complicate our lives unnecessarily, and may we cling to the knowledge that you chastise those whom you love for their own good. Sustain our hearts with your peace. We glorify name. Amen.

Hope I shared something worthwile to you today. Thank you Barry C. Black for being an instrument on sharing all these wisdom. Thank you God for giving us wisdom. We love you! :)