Sunday, April 26th, 2020. 5:27 AM.
The Secret Joy in Simplicity
I was searching in my heart this very early morning for something to do –
Maybe something to write about.
And then I was thinking about prayer
And asking God for an idea to write about
And then just a little while later
An idea came to me
I was remembering something funny
And it was also a simple thing
And a joyful thing.
Did you ever find yourself in the kitchen and you were hurriedly doing something?
And you wondered why you were being so frantic about it?
Maybe it was washing your dishes by hand
And you were being so intense about it.
And you realized that it would be easier and more peaceful if you just slowed down and washed that little spoon slowly and calmly.
And as soon as you slowed yourself down and began to wash that “little guy” ever-so-gently and kindly and sweetly that it made you laugh with joy – as if you were maybe petting a sweet and kindly little kitten, maybe.
And you wondered about that spontaneous laughter that had just come bubbling up from your heart
And you wondered: Was that the joy of the Holy Spirit I read about in the Bible?
Did God just bless me with His joy because I became like a little child for a moment and did that little job in love and peace?
And then you wondered:
If I were to share this with people some of them will think:
That guy is nuts.
And that made you laugh, too.
And you thought:
That’s the difference between the world’s ways
And God’s Way.
The world’s ways are about getting a big college education and getting an important job.
And with a great deal of will power and worldly wisdom and self-determination doing that high-powered job and facing all the stresses of all the obstacles . . .
And on the other hand . . .
God’s Way is to take refuge in Him
And be at peace in the simple act of doing something simply – just like a three-year-old would do it;
and taking your time . . . and not caring about the world and what it thinks.
And when you do that, you just might discover the joy of simplicity
And God’s Way.
“At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:25-30. NIV Study Bible.
Mark's Imaginings 