I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don’t complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple —in marriage, grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things—your daily routines of shopping, and so on. Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out. 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 (TM)

I read an article many years back about a man in Iowa City, Iowa who built a beautiful home that fits on a small pull-behind trailer. The man was part of a Small House Society (http://www.resourcesforlife.com/small-house-society) that is dedicated to simplifying life and living in small spaces that don’t require much time, energy or resources to maintain nor do they leave a giant footprint on the earth. I have to admit, there’s a Henry David Thoreau inside of me that resonates with their desires. I think Paul, the author of the letter to the church of Corinth, would have resonated with them too.

Life is complicated, and the more stuff we own – the more stuff owns us. Stuff requires our time, our energy, and our resources. Stuff pulls us away from meaningful relationships with God and with others. Stuff distracts us from the important things in life and demands that we urgently pay attention to that which needs to acquired, fixed, maintained, updated, stored, patched, organized, gone through, cleaned, dusted, polished, detailed, fertilized, weeded, watered, rewired, called about, trimmed, washed, vacuumed, swept, hung, read, listened to, watched, painted, played, marked, or put together.

How can I simplify my life today so I have more time and energy for God? My loved ones? Myself?