Is simple possible?

Ten challenges for your life

I wrote yesterday about Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline, and in particular the discipline of simplicity.

At the end of the chapter, Foster gives a list of ten principles for the outward expression of simplicity.

I found myself affronted and confronted, so I thought perhaps I might pass them on.

I am learning that my regular readers don’t mind wrestling with difficult questions.

So here they are:

Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status. Cars should be bought for their utility, not their prestige

Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you. Learn to distinguish between a real psychological need, like cheerful surroundings and an addiction.

Develop a habit of giving things away. If you find that you are becoming attached to some possession, consider giving it to someone who needs it.

Refuse to be propagandised by the custodians of modern gadgetry. Time saving devices almost never save time…… Often children find more joy in playing with pots and pans than with the latest space set.

Learn to enjoy things without owning them. Owning things is an obsession in our culture. If we own it, we feel we can control it; and if we can control it, we feel it will give us more pleasure. The idea is an illusion.

Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation. Get close to the earth. Walk whenever you can.

Look with health scepticism at all ‘buy now, pay later’ schemes. They are a trap and only deepen your bondage.

Obey Jesus’ instructions about plain, honest speech. ‘Let what you say be simply “Yes” or “No”; anything more than this comes from evil’ (Matt 5:37). If you consent to do a task, do it. Avoid flattery and half truths. Make honesty and integrity the distinguishing characteristics of your speech.

Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others.…. In a world of limited resources, does our lust for wealth mean the poverty of others?

Shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the Kingdom of God. It is so easy to lose focus in the pursuit of legitimate, even good things. Job, position, status, family, friends, security – these and many more can all too quickly become the centre of attention.

As I said, the list is confronting and even affronting… but it certainly gets me thinking!