Simplify Your Life in These Three Ways

Dear friends,

Yay! It’s Simplify Your Life Week! Finally, there’s a “holiday” for people like me and Bethany who try to make it a priority to live simply.

Through the years I’ve learned quite a bit about living a simpler life and it will continue to be one of my life long goals. Don’t be overwhelmed or discouraged when you think about simplifying. It’s a process, a daily walk, and it isn’t just about “stuff”. Simplifying your life means examining and getting rid of things that weigh you down – emotionally, physically, spiritually, financially. Putting your time, energy, resources, and focus on what matters most- your relationships with Jesus and those around you.

Letting go of stuff.

When considering simplifying your life, possessions are the obvious place to start. We live in an incredibly materialistic world which isn’t even realistic. Honestly, you don’t need all that stuff. More stuff means more to take care of which means more of your time dedicated to stuff rather than people and relationships. You don’t need a bigger house, you need less stuff. Try this. Look around your home and picture everything as dollar bills. Ones, twenties, hundreds… Was it worth it? You could have taken a vacation with that cash but instead, had to stay home and clean and organize all that stuff that you never truly needed in the first place. Shocking how much money we can spend on things that aren’t necessary.

Growing toward debt-free.

In addition to simplifying material possessions, I’ve been simplifying financially. Paying off debt and no longer using credit. It’s just simpler. It’s easier to budget and keep track of expenditures when you can watch the checkbook register tick down throughout the month. When Chip and I were first married there were times we would near the end of the month with just a few cents left. Looking back, the lean times were also good times. We learned to be creative, prioritize, and depend on God and each other. Those financial times caused us less stress in our marriage than the years of excess did.

Focusing on the heart.

Now simplifying emotionally and spiritually is definitely more challenging and this is where I struggle the most. There have been people in my life that I’ve had to let go of. I’ve made my circle smaller. I’ve learned to say no and stick to my instincts. To prioritize quiet time each day learning to trust God and follow when I can’t see through the fog. But it is possible, friends. If we could see the future and had the answers it wouldn’t be called faith, would it? Simplify the heart by going back to the basics with your savior. Run to Him and rest in Him.

This should be your ambition: to live a quiet life, minding your own business and doing your own work, just as we told you before.  -1 Thessalonians 4:11 (TLB)

Simply B&C is just Bethany and Carol, focused on living a simple and purposeful life. We’ve discovered the beauty of living simply in our everyday. As we celebrate Simplify Your Life Week, remember that simplifying, like life, is a process and a journey. Be encouraged by those who have traveled before you, simplifying their lives. It’s time to let go of the things that weigh you down. What I’ve learned along the way I’ll share with you and always know I’m here to walk alongside you on your journey.

Living Simply,