Just before I tore the rest of what was left of my hair out of my aching head, my son asked, “Well, why do these fraction problems always make us simplify?”
I gave him some lame answer that I scraped together off the floor of my inner pit of despair: “Things are just easier to deal with when they’re in their simplest form. Just do it, already, man!” [note to self: research scriptures pertaining to patience ASAP]
I simply wanted math homework over. THAT would certainly simplify life!
Later, (when the math homework was put away and I was much calmer) I thought about what I’d said. Really, I bet a whole bunch of things in life would be easier to deal with if they were in their simplest form--homework, housework, any kind of work...There’d be less confusion and chaos, less upset and stress.
I pondered how I could simplify some of the things in my life and remove some of the commotion.
Here are 9 ways to simplify life, some of which I’ve already started to implement. I hope my list will resonate with you and even spark in you some ways to help put your life in simplest form.
TUTOR: I already have two for my son. If I hire a third, that’ll only be two homework days for me! (Leave no stone sofa cushion unturned!) Maybe you don’t need a tutor, but is there something that someone else could do to help make your life simpler?
TRASH: Please know that I don’t actually have trash laying around our home, but I do have what could be deemed as one man’s trash. And you know what they say about one man’s trash. ;) Cluttered house equals a cluttered mind. It’s time to purge, baby!
TRUST: This should’ve probably been first on the list. Basically, I could trust Him more and cast my care sooner. That’d simplify things in my heart and mind, for sure.
TAKE on less: I think I’ve lived long enough to be able to confidently and politely start saying N-O without feeling guilty. If I take on less, they’ll be less stress. That sounds goooood.
TONGUE: I’ve noticed that when I talk about a problem too much, life becomes anything but simplified. In fact, the more I talk about a problem, I often find that I just end up working myself into a fit and spending the next week trying to calm down from it. So, from here on out, less talking about problems and more praising Him in advance for how He’s going to deliver me from them.
TRANSPARENCY: Hey, I am what I am. I’m over trying to impress people, I am not longer concerned about my earthly reputation. I’m making a conscious effort to refuse to compare myself to others. I am all I need to be in Him. It’s actually quite freeing—just to be me, flaws and all!
THRONE: There are times when I try to fix the big things myself, things I know I need His help with. (I hate it when I’m human.) When there’s a problem that needs simplifying--that is complicating life for me, I’m now taking it straight to Him instead of trying to solve it myself.
TEND to my own business: No matter the temptation, may I remember not to concern myself with other people’s affairs. Unless it’s a matter of my needing to pray for the situation, I don’t need to know the details—even then, I still don’t need to know because God knows the details.
TIME for me: Okay, so no matter what I try to tell myself, gray is not the new blonde. I recently realized that more than ever I’ve not been taking time for myself. People shouldn’t take one look at me and ask if there were any other survivors, you know? It’s simply imperative that we women take a break now and then to de-stress, clean ourselves up, laugh, and treat ourselves without feeling guilty! If you need permission from someone—it’s been granted! Ready. Set. GO!
God is not the author of confusion. And I’m convinced that Christ didn’t die for us to have a hectic and complicated life. Let’s take steps to put life in its simplest form where applicable, so that we have more time for Him and the people in our lives who truly are worthy of our time and attention--even ourselves!
Writer by day, transcriber by night, Renee is a boy mom, PPD survivor, recovering fear-a-holic, and former educator. She lives on Christ and caffeine as she attempts to finally transcend mediocrity and live the life Jesus died for her to have. When not tied to her desktop and swimming in coffee, the native Floridian can be found wherever the water is salty, spending time with her son and husband of 15 years.
She’s a contributor to The Good Men Project, Crosswalk, and, most recently, The Washington Post. You can learn more about Renee’s journey and her passion for helping women find their worth in the Word, not the world, at The Stay@Home Scribe.