The Joy of Little House Simplicity

It felt good to watch Little House on the Prairie on TV Land tonight. And yes I cried. It was a Christmas story, and Pa worked extra to buy a new stove for ma. Laura traded her horse Bunny to Mr. Olsen to get the stove for ma, not knowing Pa was going to get one. And since it was a surprise Pa did not know Laura was getting one either. Nelly (Mr. Olsens mean spoiled daughter) wanted the horse so bad she could taste it. Pa worked hard to make Laura a saddle to ride Bunny. Laura was sad not because Nelly got Bunny, but because Pa had worked so hard to make a saddle that was no longer needed. Mary worked for free after school for three weeks to make a new shirt for Pa. Ma had purchased the same material and made Pa the same shirt and then hid it so she would not ruin Mary's gift for Pa.

And then there was the littlest girl, obviously a daughter of an executive, who kept us from getting too emotional with her terrible acting.

Are you feeling the love?

Why don't they make shows like these anymore? They make you feel good. They are simple. The whole family can watch them and learn a good lesson together.

I think one of the reasons for my emotions is that I was blown away by the simpleness of the Ingle's lives. They eat together, ride to town together, talk with each other, solve problems together, play together and are not running around in four different cars to six different events in an evening.

Oh, would not the simple life be sweet. Simplicity is a spiritual discipline taught by Jesus that is not even considered as an option for spiritual growth for today's Christian.

In an article in Christianity Today, The "Real" Simple Life - Discover emotional and financial freedom through an often-neglected spiritual discipline. By Matt Bell

Bell rights; "While the concept of simplicity has been around for a long time, the growth of the self-storage and closet organizer businesses would seem to cast doubt on its popularity."

In Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster argues that "the majority of Christians have never seriously wrestled with the problem of simplicity, conveniently ignoring Jesus' many words on the subject. The reason is simple: this Discipline directly challenges our vested interests in an affluent lifestyle."

He describes simplicity as "a life of joyful unconcern for possessions" and suggests that it "is the one thing that sufficiently reorients our lives so that possessions can be genuinely enjoyed without destroying us."

It is that tendency of possessions to destroy or, at least, worry us that Solomon refers to when he says, "The abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep" (Ecclesiastes 5:12).

Read the entire article and Bell gives ten principles or actions we can take to lead to a more simple life.

In our materialistic, marketing-saturated world, simplicity isn't, well, so simple. But as Richard Foster points out, it begins on the inside with the attitudes of our hearts and minds. And those attitudes are cultivated through prayer and meditation on the truth of God's Word.

Keep It Simple Silly
Royal