Margaret Guenther in her book, The Practice of Prayer, says that simplicity calls for a “radical trust that does not come easily.” I’m glad to hear that it’s not second nature; I’ve been trying to lead a more simple life for decades. I either fail miserably or seem to have success for awhile and then slip back into bad habits.
Maybe I’m looking at simplicity from the wrong point of view. Guenther talks about attempts to return to nature by growing her own food and pumping water from her yard. I agree that it may be simple, but for me it is also impractical. There are things that I’m good at but relying on the earth totally for my subsistence is not one of them.
My focus this term in my Formation for Ministry class at Duke Divinity is Simplicity. It seems like it should be easy, but instead it is really hard. Perhaps if I take it slower over the next 8 weeks, I’ll have a better chance of figuring out what Simplicity really is and how it can provide me with freedom in my life.
One area that Guenther discusses is simplicity in time. She concedes that our lives and the lives of our families have become tightly scheduled to a degree unthinkable even a generation ago. But I still have 24 hours each day, just like everyone else. Guenther recommends returning to the intentionality of Sabbath even if we can’t manage a full 24-hours at one time. She talks about how we waste considerable time joylessly leaving the television on after our favorite program is over or reading the news for more than we need. She asks, “does it really matter to me what the weather is like in Berlin, today?”
I am guilty as charged.
This week, I plan to make a few changes toward an intentional Sabbath:
1. I’ll go to bed and arise at approximately the same time each day.
2. I’ll keep a time diary and log my “Sabbath time”, even if it is only in 1 hour increments. Tracking my Sabbath time may help me see where I can be more intentional.
3. I’ll schedule regular in-office hours for my part-time job at church.
4. At least once per day, I’ll schedule 15 minutes of Sabbath time in my calendar.
I’ll let you know how it goes as I make progress toward simplifying my time and returning time to a place of holiness in my life. I’m interested in your comments, too. How have you been able to simplify your life in the area of time?
Blessings, my friend,
Agatha