simple

we have such an innate ability to make life so much more complicated than it was ever intended to be. i suppose that is how we have always been.

there was that whole incident with the fruit and the snake in the tree.

there is something within us that has a hard time dealing with simplicity. it is almost as if simplicity is more threatening than complexity. simplicity scares us.

simplicity requires commitment.
complexity leaves excuses for infidelity.

while simplicity can move us to explore the deepest parts of the ocean at a pace that allows us to take in its beauty, complexity can get us swimming at a record pace only to find we could have stood up and just walked.

somehow, we have deceived ourselves into thinking the more complex the equation, the deeper our understanding. i have found, though, that the most simple equations have the surprising ability to keep showing up in our everyday lives.

simplicity will develop depth while complexity will keep you shallow.

we often determine that a church is deep in its message by the number of programs they have going on. we determine the depth of a person's relationship with Christ based on the number of verses they have memorized or the number of Bible studies they attend.

truth is a multitude of programs actually distract from the mission.
truth is memorizing verses and attending Bible studies actually keep us from committing to any one thing.

the greatest threat to your depth is not another deep commitment, it is the multitude of shallow ones.

when we are deeply committed to the simplicity of the One thing, everything else is affected.
it is not that our commitment to the One thing eliminates commitments to everything else,
it is that everything else somehow finds itself committed to the One thing, as well.

maybe it is time we get back to the simplicity of loving God and loving others.
maybe when we do that we will find ourselves in deeper than we ever imagined.
maybe we just need to make it
...
simple.