Needing Simple

Do you ever look back into the past, reminiscing of your children when they were little, and suddenly grasp a lesson?

This happened to me the other day.  When my husband (pictured above) and I first married, we had three children between us.  Soon we added a fourth, all daughters.  The children were all young, and we didn't have much money.  In fact, we were quite poor.  We didn't have a phone or cable for a couple years.  I quit working to stay home with the children because the cost of babysitters was more than my paycheck.  

At the time, I thought it was a difficult life. But as the years have gone by, I look back fondly on those times.  We were young, broke, in love, and simple.  Things weren't perfect.  In fact, my husband and I weren't Christians until a few years later.  But there was a sweetness about that time. 

I've been stressed out lately.  Life seems so complicated, such a constant struggle.  I miss those simple times.  It is so easy to let life get overwhelming and complicated, cluttered with stuff and obligations.  

I long to get back to simple.  There is no going back in time, and I wouldn't if I could.  I have Jesus now, and that's better than anything!

I prayed about my feelings, though.  And very quickly I felt the peace of The Lord settle upon me.  

"Simplicity is a matter of choice."  

That was what I felt The Lord tell me.  It's all a choice.  Simplicity means actually simplifying.  It means clearing out the clutter.  It means taking time to let go of stuff that makes life complicated; whether that be material possessions, obligations, or even a few people.  Simple means reorganizing life.

My husband and I had already began working on reorganizing our finances.  

Sometimes I can just feel the stress of life overwhelming me.  How did things get so crazy?  I can't do crazy any longer! The stress on my health just isn't worth it.  

So... Simple, minimalistic, restful... Here I come!