I tend to try to complicate life. One of my best friends once told me that if I were to write a book, it would be called “How to Simplify Life in 500 Easy Steps.” I am the personality that analyzes everything in detail and overthinks life. What should be a simple decision will sometimes drag on into days as I overthink the ramifications of each decision. Despite my overthinking, there is always a perspective I did not see, and sometimes do not make the best decision. So many times, after hours of back and forth and questioning my judgment, my initial instinct is the best decision.
Another good friend of mine once said, “Sometimes simplicity is too complicated to explain.” How true is that? If you are a parent or have spent much time with toddlers, you understand how hard it is to explain the simple concepts of life to your kids. They get into that “why” phase and begin asking lots of basic questions, and sometimes we just respond, “Because it is.” The simplest things are often the most difficult to explain. Maybe it is because we all overcomplicate things a little bit. Maybe it is because we take so much of life for granted. I do know that I spend a lot of time thinking through things and rationalizing my decisions when the answer is actually very simple.
A friend of mine passed away a couple of weeks ago, and his memorial service was on Friday. I was reminded of a quote of his that I had heard him say a few times. “Everything we do either honors God, or it doesn’t.” It is just that simple. We can rationalize our actions and decisions as much as we want, but the simple fact is just that. Everything we do either honors God or it doesn’t. There is no in-between.
We make life much more complicated than it needs to be. I think sometimes we try to complicate things to make us feel better about our poor decisions. It is the simplicity of life that eludes me the most. It is the simplicity of life that I think most of us long for, but don’t want to give up the complexities that have become so comfortable. Maybe one day I will write that book. Step one, keep life simple. Now I just have 499 steps to go.
