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I have a war going on within me and it is one I can’t win. It is a battle for my attention, my time, my strength and my money. It is a losing battle because no matter which way I choose to go, something is lost. Yet I need to figure it out because it is fought at the center of identity.
And it is not just a war in me that I can’t win; it is one that you have to raging inside of you as well. It is one that rages inside our church, our politics and the world at large. We must figure this out for our health, our walk with Jesus and for the good of the world.
The war that I am writing about is a war between drive and contentment. It is about being pushed by a drive to accomplish, to make a difference, to be noticed, and a contentment that allows us to be at rest, at peace and to be satisfied. Neither of those are bad things, it is just that when one of those things are winning the other is being silenced—and it just might come raging back at another time!
My problem is that I cannot decide which of these voices should get more attention. If I allow myself to be pushed by drive I find myself focusing on getting more. If I want more attention, I will act in ways that draw people’s eyes to me, and forget to have my eyes directed toward others. If I want to accumulate more things, I will be driven to pursue more or to mismanage my money to accomplish my goal, rather than using my resources to serve others. If I let contentment win the battle, I might be satisfied with the status quo. I might not try new things. I might not challenge myself to push into new spaces where God wants me to go. I might miss the opportunity to share my faith, to make a difference, or to do what God calls me to do.
Lets take church life for a second. I will write this in the first person, but it is not just about the pastor; all of us face these questions. I struggle to decide if I should lead with an emphasis on growth or a emphasis on our own community. Often I get stuck leading somewhere between the two and missing out on opportunities for discipleship. I wrestle with being bold in pursuit of justice in the community and with a desire to care for those right in front of me. I am very happy in my job, I think we have a beautiful community! Yet, I also want more. I want to do something that draws attention to me and to the church. I want to be noticed. I want to make a difference, but I also don’t want to rock the boat—things are good!.
So, that battle between drive and contentment rages on. We could all find examples of this in our lives. Accomplishment at all costs or the status quo – which gets more attention. Finding a balance between the two is the key! And the discipline of Christian simplicity is the pathway to wrestle through that.
Simplicity does not equal poverty. It does not equal living without drive. It does not cater to the status quo. It is learning to be content even as you pursue that which drives you. It places limits on desire, but it also rocks boats and challenges the status quo. It acknowledges that there are things to work for, but that work can’t be motivated by corrupt desires. It is about
seeking first the Kingdom of God!
Richard Foster writes this in his book the Freedom of Simplicity, “Contemporary culture is plagued by the passion to possess. The unreasoned boast abounds that the good life is found in accumulation, that “more is better… Christian simplicity frees us from this modern mania. It brings sanity to our compulsive extravagance, and peace to our frantic spirit… It allows us to see material things for what they are – goods to enhance life, not to oppress life. People once again become more important than possessions. Simplicity enables us to live lives of integrity in the face of the terrible realities of our global village.”
We will be exploring simplicity over the next few weeks, but doing so by encouraging a drive to see more of God’s kingdom and more of God’s glory made manifest to the world. Recognizing that accumulation is not the goal, and that sometimes less is more. In that case there is nothing wrong with seeking more! Especially when it makes the world a healthier place.
