I recently glanced over an Instagram post that captured my attention. The post was not spectacular and was just text on a black screen. I passed by the square and something had me go back. I saw a list of ways that this woman was searching to simplify her life. I wasn’t really interested in the list of what would make her life simpler, but more so in the lingering question of where could I simplify? I consider myself a pretty simple person; I am not fussy in nature and can accommodate pretty easily. However, being a problem solver and a strategist, I can definitely add complication to a process. Seeing the layers and interrelated components of a situation isn’t necessarily bad, it just adds more. I find myself in days without enough hours, at tables with empty seats, in a body experiencing limitations, and surrounded with lives that need my attention. My days are full. Yet, in the constant movement that comes with a big family, I can lean into the rhythm of simplicity, or I can be trampled by the journey.

Choosing simplicity doesn’t mean not doing. A better understanding would be saying no or not doing something because you are saying yes to something else. You are choosing the option of greater value. This balancing act reminds me of a Scripture in 1 Corinthians 6 that could be paraphrased, just because I can doesn’t mean I should. Saying yes to life-giving elements, relationships and situations is vital, even if it adds more.

The busyness of life can keep us in a perpetual heart-set and mind-frame of survival. This, however, just doesn’t line up with living an abundant life. I don’t have the option to cut out and say no to most of what vies for my attention during this season. Yet, I do have the option to be at peace in the chaos, find joy in the circumstance, and search for simple as I go about my day. These exercises help me to find the rhythm of my days, keeping my heart soft and my eyes open.

I’ve been on a treasure hunt of sorts lately. I find myself looking for the play of light on an object, the color pallet being used, shapes, patterns, shadows, negative space, proportions, and other random things. I am looking for beauty, discovering God’s design in nature, and intentionally being present. I don’t get it right all the time, but it’s the target that I’m working towards.

I love finding shapes in nature, especially hearts. It’s amazing what you can find when you look for it. A while back, I was wrapping up a season where I had poured myself out, giving everything that I knew to give. As I was walking one day, I looked down and found a rock shaped heart. As I reached for the rock, the Lord spoke to my heart that this season that I was leaving had been a labor of love. I felt so seen in that moment. What I had poured out and labored over had been seen by God as a labor of love. What we put our hands to is our labor, our toil, our work. Sometimes the reaping is immediate, other times the harvest comes long after the work has ceased.

This journey toward simplicity has me pondering color pallets and decor ideas, meal planning, household cycles, and a swirl of other tasks and responsibilities. Simplicity can mean focusing on the main thing, not getting lost in the details. It could mean accomplishing the most important thing and setting the rest aside. Perhaps it’s not having to weigh in on all topics or discussions.

Whatever simplicity means to you, I encourage you to explore it further. Find the rhythm and the choreography within the cyclone of busyness and join me on this journey of searching for simple.

-amanda