Subject: Simplify
Release date: February 20, 2017
SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, AND SIMPLIFY SOME MORE
Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the
abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15
“It began as a simple, or simply terrifying, pledge taken by a small group of friends feeling overwhelmed by all the things in
their lives,” writes Elizabeth Weise. She explains, “Over a potluck dinner two years ago, they made a pact: Buy nothing new
except food, medicine and toiletries for six months.”1 When a major newspaper did a feature on the unique experiment, the
idea exploded. In a matter of a few weeks more than 700 people from countries as diverse as Japan, the Philippines, and
Brazil have put their names on an Internet list to do the same thing.
“The original group named itself the Compact after the Mayflower Compact, a civil agreement that bound the Pilgrims to a
life of higher purpose when they landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620.” 2 The group that got together over a potluck dinner and
decided that enough is enough and committed to the experiment weren’t necessarily trying to make a statement about
consumerism, or how to save the world, or do something about global warming. But they acknowledged that they were fed
up with the pressure to have the latest and the most expensive, measuring the success in their lives by the junk piled in their
garage and the newest electronic stuff or fashion.
They wanted to simplify their lives. A French teacher, Rob Piccioto, one of the original compact signers, said, “It saved us
time because there was less time spent shopping. We still buy groceries and go to the drugstore, but we don’t go to Target
on a Saturday–which was a ritual before, just to see what the sales were.”
Vast numbers of people, the world over, registered disagreement with the blatant commercialism that confronts us today
every time you pick up a newspaper, turn on your television set, or pick up a magazine.
Simplifying their lives meant different things to those who took the pledge, but they were all striving to accomplish the same
thing. For some it meant buying the clothing they needed at a second hand or thrift store, having shoes repaired instead of
trashing them out in favor of a new pair, planting a garden, or using washable hand towels instead of buying paper towels. It
was an amazing life-changing endeavor that was a choice, not a situation forced upon them by a lack of resources.
Some backslid and caught themselves buying new sunglasses or something they couldn’t find second-hand, but most have
adapted to a lifestyle of general simplicity, one that they feel is more genuine and authentic, to say nothing of its being more
practical.
For Christians, a lifestyle of simplicity has always been part of authentic faith. Jesus said, “Watch out! Be on your guard
against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15). He spoke
eloquently about how the God who sees the sparrow fall from the sky will meet your needs. He set the example, living out a
lifestyle of simplicity. He never owned property. His only possession was a seamless garment that Romans soldiers cast
lots for at His death, but even in death He borrowed another man’s grave,
That philosophy and lifestyle was part and parcel of the mindset of the early church, that lived out their belief that more is not
better. Many, in fact, gave away their possessions, vowing a life of poverty to serve God. In the U.S., Quakers and Shakers
adopted the same kind of simple lifestyle, sharing their resources, helping each other, living as close to the earth as
possible.
The path less traveled includes learning to say no to commercialism, avoiding the mall, making do with what you have, and
sharing with others. Simplify, simplify, and simplify some more is the path to contentment in a materialistic world.
Scripture reading: Acts 1:1-11
1
2
Elizabeth Weise, “USATODAY, March 23, 2006, March 26, 2006, D-1.
Ibid.
The preceding material was written and produced by Dr. Harold J. Sala. All rights reserved.
Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reprint may be obtained by
contacting Guidelines International Ministries, 26161 Marguerite Parkway, Suite F, Mission Viejo,
CA 92692, USA. PHONE: 949.582.5001, E-MAIL: [email protected], WEB: www.guidelines.org.