Dancing with Simplicity

View from the Window

• October 25, 2014 9:37 pm

Every year I say I am going to …Declutter my house, journal, read more, bake, learn a new craft and organize paper clutter in my office.

And every year it does not happen. Well, not most of it anyway.

It’s like the view from my kitchen window. We have a backyard that is split in half, with a little gate in between. It is a long, narrow yard, very close to the neighbors. Since we acquired our little rescue dog four years ago, we have had nothing that resembles a lawn. Instead, we have a lot of odd trees and weeds that like to keep coming back every year. Let’s call it yard clutter.

This year we finally paid to have the overgrowth removed. We also tackled a downed tree. Everything was pretty, though still not grassy. The yard cleaned up nicely. Both halves were done, but the view from the kitchen window revealed the side that was the cleanest, and the most conquered.  Despite the lack of much greenery, it was something to behold.

Now however, months later, the weeds are back with a vengeance. Yard clutter.

So it is with our yearly, weekly, daily, goals, and plans. The space is cleared. We make room in our homes, our schedules our lives for all sorts of things. Unfortunately, before we know it the whole mess has grown back again. Weeds filling the schedule, our thoughts, our plans, blocking out our attempts to dream some big dreams. Some weeds show up because of our own bad behavior! Botttom line, our attempts to simplify, declutter, get rid of the weeds, are thwarted every time.

Now you might think this is a bad thing, but it really is no surprise to God. He knows we have no good thing in us, and He knows our sin will come back. Smooth sailing doesn’t last long in a fallen world. The weeds will come back. And with it, things like anxiety, stress, depression, pride, stubbornness, clutter. Notice these are not all blatantly sinful things. Sometimes, they are just time robbers. Sometimes they simply drain you and zap your energy. They grow in like those weeds, quickly, subtlely, unnoticed. Just like in my backyard.

The remedy?

 Romans 7:18-25 (NLT)
¹⁸ And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.
¹⁹ I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.
²⁰ But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
²¹ I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.
²² I love God’s law with all my heart.
²³ But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
²⁴ Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
²⁵ Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Maybe, it’s time to remember the weeds and clutter are simply going to be there. Instead of being surprised by them, clear them up and move on. And if they grow back, tear them down again. If it takes some repentance and confession, so be it. Ultimately, Paul’s answer, Jesus, will be the one who fights through the clutter. Let God’s presence fill up the overgrown messy weedy places. You may find opposition coming back, and taking over. Opposition to your plans and choices comes in all sorts of forms. Though it is a battle you may deal with every single day for the rest of your life, in the end He has conquered it all. And finally, things will be clear for good. For now, try planting His Word in the barren yard.

Next time you take in the view from the window; don’t be surprised by what is growing in the yard. Recognize it, expect it, and conquer it. Tear it down. Deal with it when it grows  and back better yet, let Him be the gardener. Simplify your life, by anticipating the opposition.  Be prepared for it, and keep moving forward.

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  • Simple Living, By Faith
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  • Bible,
  • By Faith,
  • Christianity,
  • Clutter,
  • Faith,
  • Goal setting,
  • God's word,
  • Scripture,
  • Simple Living