Post by MrsDeweySmith on Jul 7, 2005 15:54:48 GMT -5
This is from a friend's website...enjoy...
Simple Doesn't Mean Effortless
There is an interesting response from time to time when people come to visit
us. It seems that the idea of our more simple life - more simple than the
modern lifestyle - means that we don't have as much to do. They seem almost
disappointed that we are not just sitting around counting leaves or
something.
The plain lifestyle is a simple lifestyle for sure, but it is not an
effortless way to live at all. We feel that our effort is spent more on
simple endeavors. Let me explain.
In the modern, up-to-date family both parents work outside of the home. All
the children attend a school of some sort. The family reconvenes in the
home (hopefully) in the evening for a little while, spending most of their
time in separate rooms, to watch television, do homework, straighten the
house and then go to bed. The children have numerous after-school
activities.
Parents seldom have quiet one-on-one time with each other and even that time
is spent discussing; the bills, the kids' problems, or work. The
heart-to-heart talks just really don't ever happen.
Hopefully the same family finds time once a year to go on a vacation
somewhere. When they get to the destination, it has been so long since they
have spent any time together that they feel uncomfortable with each other.
Therefore, they plan hour-by-hour activities so that they aren't faced with
the dreadful silence that is borne of unfamiliarity. Activities are a mask
for lack of communication. Sound familiar?
Yet our modern society and the above mentioned family has probably every
modern convenience devised. They lack no labor saving device or
entertainment available. Families generally have, telephones and
televisions in every room, a family computer as well as computers for the
kids, cell phones, pagers and other electronic tracking devices.
If they don't have the newest electronics they are sure to be planning when
they can get it. Even infants now have their own televisions and VCR/DVD
players, DVD music system, and televisions in the car to keep them
entertained while their parents take them to yet another activity. I am
exhausted just writing about it.
The point is that with all these "conveniences" why are people so busy,
angry, exhausted and mentally at their wits' end? As a society we have
bought into a lie. The lie that work is bad and "stuff" is good. Is it not
blatantly clear that prosperity has not brought peace? And yet we work -
some folks work so long that they are at work more than they are at home.
Then when they are at home they don't even want to take out the garbage or
make a bed. Something is terribly wrong.
We have discovered that work is not bad but the type of work we do is what
is the problem. The type of work to gain more money to gain more stuff is
not of God. This is a lie straight from the pit of hell. The labor the
Lord would have us to do is not for the purpose of gaining material
possessions. The scripture says that we should work so that we can earn in
order to give. I think this is concerning a wage-paying job, but what about
working for the home and family.
Living simply is just that, doing the simple things that address well-being
and survival. During the blizzard we had here in 1993, everyone in this
area spent all their time working to survive: provide warmth, food and
basic comfort for their family. I wonder how a "modern" family would be
able to function for a week without their microwave, electric lights and
central heat and air. Would they become so stressed and uncomfortable that
they would begin arguing and fighting with each other.
During the above-mentioned blizzard, many folks who had put in those cute
little gas fireplaces nearly froze because there was no heat. How sad!
Simple living is the type of living where you get back to the most basic
needs and try to supply them as simply as possible. A friend of mine
relayed to me something that his great grandmother used to say, "When a man
can have light or heat without a fire, or can eat without a garden, then
folks will forget that there is a God. It is the little prayers, such as
asking for a breeze while hoeing on a hot summer day, or for rain for the
garden, that makes him know and recognize us for who we are." This is the
wisdom brought about by living a long life.
I can hear your thoughts! Be specific! There are many things that you can
do to simplify - but remember work is not bad.
Let's look at cooking for example. It is very simple and easy to open a box
and pour the contents in boiling water, drain it and spoon it onto plates.
Or better yet, microwave it. Yes, zap the food with the microwave for a
couple of minutes and eat it right out of the serving dish you bought it in.
That way one person can have a turkey dinner and one person can have steak
and the other can have tacos. We have had this convenience for more than 20
years now. Has our society become much happier now that dinner can be
created in a matter of seconds?
Gardening, canning, baking are all very strenuous activities that take a
great deal of time and energy. And of course you can go to any local
grocery store and purchase foods from every corner of the earth and from
laboratories as well. Why bake your own bread when you can run to the
bakery and get a fabulous loaf? Why go through gardening, harvesting,
cooking and canning all that food when we can make a quick trip to Food
World - 5 cans for $2.00. I admit - that is the easiest way to get your
food and I can present you with all the reasons why, in the long run, it is
not economical, safe nor healthy. The question is do you want the truth?
In the former days, ladies wore large hats and clothing that covered their
bodies as they worked in the gardens and grew every vegetable that they
served their family. They fed animals good grain and cared for them daily
in order to provide quality meat for the table. Now husbands have to work
long hours and struggle to be climbing that ladder of success so that she
can buy that loaf of bread instead of making it herself.
As you can see from the pictures here on our website, we dress a bit
differently from the rest. Years ago I taught my daughters to dress and
look their very best at all times. Hairstyles, make-up, nails, pretty
jewelry, clothes that emphasized our assets (so to speak) were not only part
of our lives they were important. We actually spent time selecting clothing
to match our complexion and then had coordinating jewelry and make-up.
Hours and lots of money were spent fixing our hair, face, and making sure we
looked good from every angle. There were mornings when one or another
member of this family ended up either crying or very stressed over not
having anything to wear or their hair not "working". Now, after searching
the scriptures for God's plan we realize that clothing was created to cover
our bodies - not to decorate us. Hair was given for our husband's glory not
our own. And jewelry was what adorned harlots not Godly women. Now I know
that many will get angry over that last one - please don't get angry with
me - it is God's Word that says it.
We wake up in the morning, brush our hair, put on a headcovering, wash our
faces, open the closet and choose a dress - any dress, put it on and then
slip into our shoes and we are ready for the day. Paul doesn't have to work
overtime to buy us new fall fashions and we do not have to stress over
whether our outfit is in style. It isn't! Style is a worldly concept and
people of God should have no part of it. Simple. Simple clothing, simple
living.
Planning your day is another struggle for many women: house chores,
children's activities, church activities, "time for ME" activities and
perhaps if he's lucky a few minutes for the husband. The complicated life
of the modern woman is incredible.
One of the greatest disruptions is by far the telephone and now instead of
just having to deal with it at home - we now take it with us. Some folks
have even put a phone in their bathroom!!! Incredible!!!!!!!!
I used to be the lady who let her child stay up half the night so that I
could have time to myself in the morning. Why is it that we never think to
teach the child to entertain themselves with intelligent activities,
therefore we could stand to have them awake? Now that there is so much
available on DVD we just prop them in front of a TV or give them a new
gameboy and viola - problem solved. No, precious sister, problem made
worse. This seemingly simple solution has only made your problem deepen
because that same child will never be able to sit and think their own
thoughts without something there to entertain them, even into adulthood.
And do you not realize that this child that you have "quietened" with
electronic numbness will come back to you when they are unable to function
as a wife or husband because their mate isn't keeping them entertained and
excited all the time. This is also the parent who will not have closeness
with their child because they can only relate to people on a surface level.
I will not even get into the ramifications for that child's children - the
cycle is vicious and will not end until someone stops it.
The point is we seem to not be willing to exert the energy it would take to
make life different. We work to exhaustion on meaningless tasks that only
present the illusion of happiness instead of getting down to the meat of the
issue and sweating and toiling to bring about change. The fruit of our
lives is in the eternal. For Paul and I, it is our children. Much time is
spent in ministry to other people but our children are our eternal fruit.
Every moment we show them the path to God is time well spent. Each chore
that we do should be to teach them the Godly characteristics. If we gain
the whole world and lose our own babies what have we gained? I encourage
you to take a look at your daily activities, daily tasks and decide if the
amount of time and energy you are spending on those things will bring you
eternal reward.
Simple Doesn't Mean Effortless
There is an interesting response from time to time when people come to visit
us. It seems that the idea of our more simple life - more simple than the
modern lifestyle - means that we don't have as much to do. They seem almost
disappointed that we are not just sitting around counting leaves or
something.
The plain lifestyle is a simple lifestyle for sure, but it is not an
effortless way to live at all. We feel that our effort is spent more on
simple endeavors. Let me explain.
In the modern, up-to-date family both parents work outside of the home. All
the children attend a school of some sort. The family reconvenes in the
home (hopefully) in the evening for a little while, spending most of their
time in separate rooms, to watch television, do homework, straighten the
house and then go to bed. The children have numerous after-school
activities.
Parents seldom have quiet one-on-one time with each other and even that time
is spent discussing; the bills, the kids' problems, or work. The
heart-to-heart talks just really don't ever happen.
Hopefully the same family finds time once a year to go on a vacation
somewhere. When they get to the destination, it has been so long since they
have spent any time together that they feel uncomfortable with each other.
Therefore, they plan hour-by-hour activities so that they aren't faced with
the dreadful silence that is borne of unfamiliarity. Activities are a mask
for lack of communication. Sound familiar?
Yet our modern society and the above mentioned family has probably every
modern convenience devised. They lack no labor saving device or
entertainment available. Families generally have, telephones and
televisions in every room, a family computer as well as computers for the
kids, cell phones, pagers and other electronic tracking devices.
If they don't have the newest electronics they are sure to be planning when
they can get it. Even infants now have their own televisions and VCR/DVD
players, DVD music system, and televisions in the car to keep them
entertained while their parents take them to yet another activity. I am
exhausted just writing about it.
The point is that with all these "conveniences" why are people so busy,
angry, exhausted and mentally at their wits' end? As a society we have
bought into a lie. The lie that work is bad and "stuff" is good. Is it not
blatantly clear that prosperity has not brought peace? And yet we work -
some folks work so long that they are at work more than they are at home.
Then when they are at home they don't even want to take out the garbage or
make a bed. Something is terribly wrong.
We have discovered that work is not bad but the type of work we do is what
is the problem. The type of work to gain more money to gain more stuff is
not of God. This is a lie straight from the pit of hell. The labor the
Lord would have us to do is not for the purpose of gaining material
possessions. The scripture says that we should work so that we can earn in
order to give. I think this is concerning a wage-paying job, but what about
working for the home and family.
Living simply is just that, doing the simple things that address well-being
and survival. During the blizzard we had here in 1993, everyone in this
area spent all their time working to survive: provide warmth, food and
basic comfort for their family. I wonder how a "modern" family would be
able to function for a week without their microwave, electric lights and
central heat and air. Would they become so stressed and uncomfortable that
they would begin arguing and fighting with each other.
During the above-mentioned blizzard, many folks who had put in those cute
little gas fireplaces nearly froze because there was no heat. How sad!
Simple living is the type of living where you get back to the most basic
needs and try to supply them as simply as possible. A friend of mine
relayed to me something that his great grandmother used to say, "When a man
can have light or heat without a fire, or can eat without a garden, then
folks will forget that there is a God. It is the little prayers, such as
asking for a breeze while hoeing on a hot summer day, or for rain for the
garden, that makes him know and recognize us for who we are." This is the
wisdom brought about by living a long life.
I can hear your thoughts! Be specific! There are many things that you can
do to simplify - but remember work is not bad.
Let's look at cooking for example. It is very simple and easy to open a box
and pour the contents in boiling water, drain it and spoon it onto plates.
Or better yet, microwave it. Yes, zap the food with the microwave for a
couple of minutes and eat it right out of the serving dish you bought it in.
That way one person can have a turkey dinner and one person can have steak
and the other can have tacos. We have had this convenience for more than 20
years now. Has our society become much happier now that dinner can be
created in a matter of seconds?
Gardening, canning, baking are all very strenuous activities that take a
great deal of time and energy. And of course you can go to any local
grocery store and purchase foods from every corner of the earth and from
laboratories as well. Why bake your own bread when you can run to the
bakery and get a fabulous loaf? Why go through gardening, harvesting,
cooking and canning all that food when we can make a quick trip to Food
World - 5 cans for $2.00. I admit - that is the easiest way to get your
food and I can present you with all the reasons why, in the long run, it is
not economical, safe nor healthy. The question is do you want the truth?
In the former days, ladies wore large hats and clothing that covered their
bodies as they worked in the gardens and grew every vegetable that they
served their family. They fed animals good grain and cared for them daily
in order to provide quality meat for the table. Now husbands have to work
long hours and struggle to be climbing that ladder of success so that she
can buy that loaf of bread instead of making it herself.
As you can see from the pictures here on our website, we dress a bit
differently from the rest. Years ago I taught my daughters to dress and
look their very best at all times. Hairstyles, make-up, nails, pretty
jewelry, clothes that emphasized our assets (so to speak) were not only part
of our lives they were important. We actually spent time selecting clothing
to match our complexion and then had coordinating jewelry and make-up.
Hours and lots of money were spent fixing our hair, face, and making sure we
looked good from every angle. There were mornings when one or another
member of this family ended up either crying or very stressed over not
having anything to wear or their hair not "working". Now, after searching
the scriptures for God's plan we realize that clothing was created to cover
our bodies - not to decorate us. Hair was given for our husband's glory not
our own. And jewelry was what adorned harlots not Godly women. Now I know
that many will get angry over that last one - please don't get angry with
me - it is God's Word that says it.
We wake up in the morning, brush our hair, put on a headcovering, wash our
faces, open the closet and choose a dress - any dress, put it on and then
slip into our shoes and we are ready for the day. Paul doesn't have to work
overtime to buy us new fall fashions and we do not have to stress over
whether our outfit is in style. It isn't! Style is a worldly concept and
people of God should have no part of it. Simple. Simple clothing, simple
living.
Planning your day is another struggle for many women: house chores,
children's activities, church activities, "time for ME" activities and
perhaps if he's lucky a few minutes for the husband. The complicated life
of the modern woman is incredible.
One of the greatest disruptions is by far the telephone and now instead of
just having to deal with it at home - we now take it with us. Some folks
have even put a phone in their bathroom!!! Incredible!!!!!!!!
I used to be the lady who let her child stay up half the night so that I
could have time to myself in the morning. Why is it that we never think to
teach the child to entertain themselves with intelligent activities,
therefore we could stand to have them awake? Now that there is so much
available on DVD we just prop them in front of a TV or give them a new
gameboy and viola - problem solved. No, precious sister, problem made
worse. This seemingly simple solution has only made your problem deepen
because that same child will never be able to sit and think their own
thoughts without something there to entertain them, even into adulthood.
And do you not realize that this child that you have "quietened" with
electronic numbness will come back to you when they are unable to function
as a wife or husband because their mate isn't keeping them entertained and
excited all the time. This is also the parent who will not have closeness
with their child because they can only relate to people on a surface level.
I will not even get into the ramifications for that child's children - the
cycle is vicious and will not end until someone stops it.
The point is we seem to not be willing to exert the energy it would take to
make life different. We work to exhaustion on meaningless tasks that only
present the illusion of happiness instead of getting down to the meat of the
issue and sweating and toiling to bring about change. The fruit of our
lives is in the eternal. For Paul and I, it is our children. Much time is
spent in ministry to other people but our children are our eternal fruit.
Every moment we show them the path to God is time well spent. Each chore
that we do should be to teach them the Godly characteristics. If we gain
the whole world and lose our own babies what have we gained? I encourage
you to take a look at your daily activities, daily tasks and decide if the
amount of time and energy you are spending on those things will bring you
eternal reward.
