Thursday, January 3, 2013

Keepin' It Simple In 2013



Uh, oh, here I go, wading through a lot of stuff you know, 
Juggling it all while I’m balancing on a wire; 
Slow down, I have found, seems that every time I turn around, 
Got one foot in the muck and another foot in the mire;
Well, I’m scaling down, pulling back
Got to try to simplify ~ Wes King


A few weeks ago, a rash of One Word buttons began popping up all over my Facebook page and on my Blogger Reading List.

For those of you who haven’t the foggiest notion what in the world I’m talking about, the One Word concept is to focus on a particular God inspired word for the whole year, rather than wrestle with a laundry list of New Year’s resolutions you just KNOW will be broken by the third week of January (I’m being kind here. Usually, I’ve bombed out on most by January 2).

Melanie, over at Only A Breath, designs these marvelous One Word 2013 buttons to display on your blog, your Facebook page, your personal website or wherever. I first became aware of this last year when my friend Dawn Paoletta, over at Beneath The Surface:Breath of Faith, had one on her blog.  So, I decided to give it a shot this year.

Those of you who don't really know me, here's a truth: I’ve created a career out of making things in my own life…and the lives of others…more complicated than they need to be. What could be said in 25 words or less, I will say/write in 250 words or more. I fear blank calendars and Day Planners: empty blocks or pages just SCREAM for me to fill them with something. Or many somethings. And honestly? I’ve tried to accomplish so many things at once, I could be a professional juggler.

While I am far from reaching hoarder status, I do have a lot of stuff in my house. Too much stuff. Unnecessary stuff.

I feel as if I have….no, I KNOW I have so much clutter in my life – literally and figuratively – and the clutter and the complication have become a constant distraction from what is most important, or SHOULD be important to me:

  • Jesus
  • My family
  • My health

I can no longer continue on this cluttered, twisted, rock strewn maze, because frankly:

It’s burdensome
It’s exhausting
It’s stressful
It’s ugly




So yes....Simplify is my One Word for 2013. 

Jumping onto the dictionary bandwagon, here are some definitions that resonate with me personally: to reduce to basic essentials; to make more simple and less complex; to eliminate those things that we don’t need.

Simplify.

It came as a gentle, yet persistent, God-breathed whisper in my ear, that turned into a stirring in my soul.

Simplify!

When Jesus traveled, to say He traveled extremely light is an understatement because as far as I know, Jesus didn’t have much of anything TO TAKE. He didn't even own a house. Jesus did and said only what was necessary. So He is Whom I look to as my example of simplicity. All through the gospels, Jesus found Himself in the middle of ridiculously large groups people. Yet, He focused on and tended to each matter, each need, each precious person at hand. Jesus kept it simple.

Simplify. I don’t know what this is going to look like for me this year. I doubt it will be pretty, swift or easy. Sincere and deep life change never is. And I sure don’t know how God is going to work this out in my life for 2013.

But that’s not my job to figure it out. That’s a job I’ll gladly pull from the juggling sphere and hand over to Him.

Just tryin’ to simplify. 


4 comments:

  1. You know we are kindred spirits :) First, I LOVE, love, love that Wes King song - I haven't thought about it in a long time, so thanks for the reminder...I'll have to give it a listen again. This statement "What could be said in 25 words or less, I will say/write in 250 words or more. I fear blank calendars and Day Planners: empty blocks or pages just SCREAM for me to fill them with something. Or many somethings." could have been pulled right off of my blog, out of my journal and my prayers of confession LOL!! My one word of consistency really requires simplicity and balance to achieve. May God use these words to teach us wonderful lessons this year my PSF :)

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  2. Oh, AMEN to this! I'm definitely with you on simplifying my 2013! Such a great feeling to rid ourselves of the "unnecessary," all the things that are not of the Lord.
    God Bless!!!!

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  3. OH, my friend- I would CHOOSE that word for me too. SO I will be with you watching and listening to all God shows you to glean whatever I can that is wisdom! I love that word and so feel cluttered and complicated as well. I know God will do great things for us and through us this year. I so relate to your words ...hey no wonder we are BBFF's! May I suggest you journal a few notes along in one of those blank books that are cluttering up your draws, desks or closets (see I am already demanding and complicating your life!) and take a few journey notes...along the way. Then perhaps you can share if you'd like a few, simple, uncomplicated thoughts from those notes over at Random Journal Day...just a thought!!! Love and God Bless your journey this year...

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  4. A book that helped me to start getting rid of clutter, or at least inspired me to try and to try to clean up my mess was "Radical". I still haven't finished the book. I find it to be heavy reading...because I want to absorb all of it, I don't get far before I am inspired to do something. But it often gets laid aside quickly because it is more than I can absorb at once, to read it straight through at even a chapter a day. Because I want to allow for change and not rush through it.

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