The Joy of Simplicity

There is a deep longing in my soul right now for a return to simplicity. For time to enjoy the sunshine. For slower moments of peace. For time to play. For space to breath. For joy. For days that are less crammed together. For an end to chasing after the wind.

For more time to spend with the little guy in this picture, "Baby Rick." It seems his baby time has slipped away from us, as he will be four years old this May. I miss him more and more all the time. He is like pure sunshine. There is something magic about him. He is a great source of joy for me.


I don't think I was designed for the kind of life I'm leading right now. My body is rebeling against it with pains that won't go away. The stress is making my stomach uneasy. I wake up every morning longing for something to change, longing for freedom, longing for someone to rescue me from the unending cycle of the "To Do" list. Crossing something off feels good for a moment, but then I look down and see that it has just continued to grow and grow. I wonder if anything I am doing is really making a difference anyway. In the end, will all my running around have accomplished anything real? Anything that lasts? This has been a challenging season of life. Much more challenging that I thought it would be. I have lessons to write. Service Projects to manage. A summer trip to plan. Bryan House stuff to accomplish. But all I really want to do right now is go blow bubbles with Baby Rick. Somehow that seems more satisfying than any of the other stuff.

Maybe it's just Spring Fever. But I have had this feeling once before. It had happened a long time ago when I first met a refugee family from Mauritania. After a few months of visiting them I suddenly realized that I felt closer to Jesus and more fulfilled as a person when I was visiting this Muslim family than when I was working my full time ministry job. Though many people didn't understand at the time, I actually felt like Jesus was calling me out of my job at the church in order to do something simpler and to spend more time with refugees. There are many things that are different now in my life, and there are things I have learned since that time that changes the equation a bit. But I still hunger for some simplicity. I don't really know how it's possible right now. But I long for it deeply -- more and more everyday.