Simplicity, Not Suffering
We have been running through simplicity in my community group and it has been one of the more life-giving topics that we have covered over…
Category: Minimalism
Author: Jake Klinvex


Simplicity, Not Suffering
We have been running through simplicity in my community group and it has been one of the more life-giving topics that we have covered over the last 3+ years. We’re focusing on Matthew 6: 25–34 and our key areas of focus include our Thoughts, Emotions, Will, Behavior, and Social Interactions.
www.stanway.org
An interesting question was posed in our group around “how do we live a simple life when we are naturally inclined to desire nice/expensive things?” She went on to explain her desire to buy expensive things for her house, but contrasted this desire with how she has walked into homes that are simple, yet beautiful — and wondered how we get to that in all phases of our life.
I think “simple”, needs to be followed with, “yet beautiful” in our Christian walk or else we will become burned out. What do I mean by this?
I’d say that 75% of the clothes that I wear our Bonobos. Bonobos had a simple mantra when starting the company — they set out to build the best fitting pair of pants in the world, and in my opinion they have succeeded. All of their clothes are relatively simple and fit really well. There are no logos. Contrast this choice of clothing with what I may have preferred in high school or college — there was a race to see who could find the shirt with the biggest Polo horse or who could own the most shirts with a Lacoste alligator on the front. I couldn’t afford the Burberry shirts with the full print pattern that took over the entire shirt, but probably would have worn one.
These shirts were expensive, but they looked bad — they didn’t fit.
I guess we were on a clothing discussion kick this week in our Bible studies because in our small group we also brought up the fact that if wear “loud” clothes, people notice if you wear the same thing twice — however, if you were to wear a plain blue, nice-fitting, button down every day to work, most probably wouldn’t notice if you wore the same thing for a year straight.
In these examples, if you have an epiphany and decide that you want to wear simpler, less brand-centric clothes, it doesn’t mean that you have to transition to wearing rags. Simplicity doesn’t have to sacrifice function.
In technology, Apple has won market share because of their simple design principles. A poster in our office reads something along the lines of “The hardest part isn’t adding something, it is taking something away” — referencing features.
Simplicity is good. It removes clutter.
Going through the list of focuses for our small group, here are some ideas around what we are going to focus on as a group around simplification. Church guidance is in parenthesis, and my thoughts are after:
Thoughts — (Meditate on Matthew 6:25–34) Remove sports talk in the morning on my way into work and meditate on this verse. Simplifies my decision on when to focus on this.
Emotions — (Give away any clothes that you haven’t worn in a year)Do this, and replace anything that I find that I am missing with nice, simple clothing.
Will — (Monitor behavior around material possessions) Plan out spending of bonuses prior to receiving with wife.
Behavior — (Tell a friend something you can simplify in life and do it) Set morning routine the night before — make smoothie and coffee, and set out clothes so that morning can be clear, structured and set up for a good day.
Social Interaction — (Simplify speech. Avoid bringing attention your way or flattery to others) Be transparent with progress at work and ask for help. Give honest feedback on where I need help and where I think others can do better. Fluff doesn’t make things better.
As I look at these five areas of simplification, the outcome of these goals is not to make my life terrible — which I think is where our mind goes whenever we think about taking things away — in every one of these cases, this simplification will make things better:
Thoughts — I’m a firm believer that if my mornings are clear, focused, and clutter free that the rest of my day will be better. Conversations will be more fulfilling, and if I feel productive during the day, work will not creep into the evening — making me a better husband and father.
Emotions — Giving away everything that I hadn’t worn in a year was a thought that initially brought about a lot of resistance in my head — “what about my college baseball gear!” But, if I give this all away, we will have more room in our house, I can replace my 10 year old suits with modern ones that I will actually wear, and we won’t have to fold mounds of laundry, which will save tons of time. I am now most excited about this one!
Will — We will most likely plan something along the lines of if we hit X in this quarter, will use it for A, B, and C. This will keep us honest with giving, and also make it more likely that we spend on long term important items instead of things that we may want at the time.
Behavior — I often don’t make my smoothie or coffee, or go for a run in the morning because I don’t want to wake the kids with the blender/grinder or feel that I don’t have time because I have to find clean cold gear for running. But, like my Thoughts, this routine helps my health and makes me better person.
Social Interaction — I really like the idea of simplifying speech. It isn’t something that we focus on in society, but “cutting the crap” allows us to get to the point, be more productive, and get to topics of importance. I am going to limit this to work at first, because I don’t think it would go over well with my wife! But, even at home, trying to make it a point to talk about things that are really on our hearts in a worthy endeavor.
My point in all of this is that in a culture of “stuff”, simplicity can get a negative connotation.
I am not going through these bullets and making it a point to meditate on scripture 100% of my day, move to Africa, give away 100% of my income, only eat plants, and be weak with my speech. Simplification does not have to be suffering.
I was listening to “Lead Me To The Cross” by Hillsong United this morning and was struck the request of the Lord to “quiet my soul”. What a beautiful thought — quiet our souls and simplify our lives. It is counterintuitive, but the best things in life often are.