“I’m just going through the motions in this life. There is no fulfillment, no purpose. I wish I just could get rid of all the clutter and live a simple life with meaning.”
Her name is, ironically, Joy. She lives in Indiana. And Joy was one of more than 1,000 people who gave us graciously of their time to talk to us about what really matters, and what doesn’t matter.
The purpose of this large study was to hear from people across America about the priorities of their families and lives. They talked to us about time pressures, family challenges, and money problems. And they talked to us about God.
The recurring theme was a desire to slow down and to simplify.
The cry was for a simple life.
From Simple Church to Simple Life
Art Rainer, my middle son, and I began a quest to hear from families across our nation. We wanted to hear their hopes, hurts, and dreams. When the research was complete, we knew that we had a title for the book. Thus Simple Life was born. It releases this month.
We quickly realized that the process of my predecessor book with Eric Geiger, Simple Church, was sorely needed. The book soon became a road map for people to move toward simplicity. Where Simple Church was primarily a book for church leaders, Simple Life is aimed at a broader audience. We seek to speak to all who desire greater meaning in life.
The Dash
Art wrote my favorite chapter of the book. He actually spent time in a cemetery in preparation for the book. He thought that the best place to get a perspective on life was to go to the place where the physical body resides at the end of life.
He went from grave marker to grave marker looking at names. Of course, he saw the birth dates and the dates of death of each person whose mortal body lay beneath the sod. But he was most fascinated by the dash, that simple mark that represents the entirety of life.
But there was one marker that caused him to pause. Listen to Art’s story.
“I soon came across a granite marker with a bronze plate screwed into the stone. On the plate was molded the name ‘Arthur.’
“That’s my name.
“I stared at it for a while. The name represented another Arthur, but one day that same name on a stone will represent me. It will represent my body. It will represent my life, a life that will be over. I was looking at my physical end.
“On each grave marker is a dash between two years. The dash is time, and that is where we are, in our dash. And before there is some year placed on the other end, we need to figure this whole thing out.”
Lord, Teach Me Your Simple Life
I am too often guilty of wasting time in this life. I let minor frustrations distract me more than I should. And I let silly busyness get in the way of God’s business. As Art said, I need to figure this life out before the final year is placed on the marker.
Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance” (John 10:10b, HCSB).”
This life is too brief to major on minors. The simple life is ultimately all about a simple and singular focus on Jesus. It’s about His way and His will. That’s the abundant life.
Lord, teach me Your way. Teach me Your simple life. And help me to realize that nothing else really matters.
Then, and only then, can I say that the “dash” was fully lived.
