Every summer my family travels to De Soto, Wisconsin. We simply enjoy life on the river, relaxing, fishing, and boating. Not a single care to have. Life is easy there. It’s peaceful. I walk out my door to nothing, but a vast and mighty river that can be as still and gentle as a tender touch. Its beautiful here. God’s glory is definitely revealed in this simple life. Key word simple. We stay in a small fishing cabin with only the essentials we need for our 10 day trip. Clothes, suits, food, water, some good books, and a camera. There is no cell service here and very little wifi. We are relatively very disconnected from the world. It’s a new world here. But its a simple world. There is no clutter or worries. I tend to wear the same things everyday. I spend a significant amount of time in close quarters with my family. I have obvious and much needed time with God. One day during this week this past summer I sat on the dock and read through Lamentations. I’ve never actually sat down and read through Lamentations honestly. Truthfully I’ve only heard the good parts about God being faithful, which is the most hopeful part and extremely encouraging, but these verses are only found in one of the five chapters. There is a lot more “hard stuff” that runs through these pages. Basically to sum it up, Jerusalem messed up. Big time. Time after time they screwed up and finally they fell flat on their face and God was over it. He warned them what sin would do to them, but they didn’t listen. Lamentations confronts that regret and deep wound in their hearts and their now suffering for their convictions. They are words of lament. It’s a hard book to sit and read. You really begin to feel the weight of their sin and the conviction in your own life.
"Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean. All who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness, she herself groans and turns away. Her filthiness clung to her skirts; she did not consider her future. Her fall was astounding; there was none to comfort her."
-Lamentations 1:8-9
I can tell you right now, I have felt like Jerusalem. I have make choices everyday that impact my life both indirectly and directly. I felt so brutally connected to Jerusalem reading through her heartache and cries because that is me. That’s me once or twice or a hundred times a day. I’ll admit it. It causes my “heart to grow faint.” (Lamentations 1:22) But how great is the great love of Christ that grace can cover a multitude of sins? Now in my life, I’m on the journey of understanding grace. It’s tricky for me to allow myself to receive, but it’s good and I need it. Lamentations though hits that path hard. I'm sure this will be a continuous beautiful battle I will encounter I will have.
"O Lord, you took up my case; you redeemed my life."
-Lamentations 3:58
He meets me in my woes and regrets and listens to my pleas and forgives. The grief and affliction will come, but they are not forever. For great compassion will follow. Grace meets us right there. Right in the midst of hurt, regret and lament. Grace doesn’t mean you will not still have heartache and pain, but that you have a future and light that is greater than the darkness you’re in now. There is a great hope we can have amidst troubles.
As I’ve been writing this you may wonder how it relates to minimalism, but I do believe this to be a stepping stone in my heart to wanting to be a minimalist. In the simplicity of life of that time on the river, I developed a deeper and greater understanding and yearning of Christ. I hear my God far louder and clearer when I’m immersed in simplicity. Living without the distractions of everything else reminds me of the great need for time alone with God. Allowing myself to live in the silence and stillness I have the most refreshing and nourishing drink to quench a tired and faint heart. Alongside of all this, I have been reading Living with Less by Joshua Becker. The entire book is a journey of the biblical connections of life as a minimalist. As I venture through the book, I am finding the great calling to minimalism has on people. It may not be for everyone, but it is a life to be considered if you are noticing the distractions the world has in your walk with Christ. My own convictions of comparison and material obsession has led me to thoughts that maybe instead of wanting more things, I could want more Christ eliminating the unnecessary. Just as Jerusalem became so consumed in their sin, I believe we all have the capability to do so as well.
"With their own hands compassionate women have cooked their own children."
-Lamentations 4:10
Surprise! I bet you didn't expect that verse. Though this is a great extreme…it reminds me though that even good people are capable of doing really awful things. Good people fail. I fail. I believe we are called to do whatever takes to follow after Christ. So maybe for me that means clearing up my schedule by eliminating some of things that distract me. This minimalist lifestyle is very different for me and honestly a little scary, but I believe it is a healthy lifestyle Christ encourages us to live. So as I clear out my closet and drawers I will yearn to follow Christ with my time and energy more humbly and intentionally.
Simply,
MDH
Here's our little cabin we rent!
Just a little family pic (:
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