Keep it simple, Stupid!

Is this normal? Is life always supposed to be this busy, rushed, hectic, and sometimes filled with meaningless activities to fill the gaps? Not to mention, that there always has to be more or better of everything. Why is it so complicated and confusing? I sometimes find myself making lists of things to do, should I ever get “bored.” I was awakened to a peaceful solution to this madness in my devotion yesterday. This need to submit myself to society’s demand for me to want more and to want it faster is supposedly normal for my generation. The need to fill my life with worldly pleasures and luxuries is an expected necessity. I find it stressful and frustrating to fill this unnecessary calling to be something that I am not, to be someone I was not created to be. Our world has created unrealistic expectations and multiple purposes for us, while God has created us for one purpose and only expects us to follow and love him. I have tried to simplify my schedule to create “down time” or time to relax and give up possessions I don’t need that could be put to better use by others who need it more. I’ve tried to change my mind set and for whatever reason, I always fall back into my rut. In my devotion, I read that simplicity starts with the heart. I hadn’t tried focusing on that! Why wouldn’t I have thought to work on the one part of me that God should have total control of, not to mention that he should be in control of a lot more than I was willing to give him? All I was thinking about was ME. What I wanted, what I should do, how I was going to fix it, how I should blame myself, what I could do to make it better. That’s not what it was about at all! I should have been filling my heart with God. My ONE purpose in life is to live for my loving Creator and Father, not myself. I had my priorities all wrong! This realization pulled a huge load off of my heart, my head, and my shoulders. It takes a lot for us as individuals in today’s ridiculously fast-paced society to remain calm and to remind ourselves that we aren’t the ones in control. We should be confident that our God has EVERYTHING under control. If we live for Christ and leave the rest to him we would be so much less stressed and frustrated with ourselves, others, and situations we can’t control. I’ve been in prayer a lot lately, trying to find out what my purpose is in God’s great plan. I know it will take time and lots of listening to find my true purpose, but doing what God created me to do and doing it to the best of my ability has become my greatest goal. I’ve been making it all way too complicated. I should have been simply being myself. It’s almost as if the Holy Spirit had leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Keep it simple, Stupid!”