The Burden of Complexity
We make life so complicated. We heap on ourselves an ever-growing burden of musts and then busy ourselves trying to figure it all out and stay on top of it. Do you have to-do lists and a full calendar? Do you have reminders and notifications to keep up with everything?
What about your spiritual life? Do you have piles of books? Do you listen to podcasts and YouTubers? Do you volunteer whenever there’s a call for help? Do you get confused about what God wants you to do and end up doing everything—or nothing?
Here’s one more question: How often do you spend quality time with God with nothing but the Bible?
The Beauty of a Simple Faith
My family served as missionaries among the Roma, better known as Gypsies—a term that isn’t the most respectful. Ever hear the expression “to be gypped”? That’s how it’s spelled. It refers to the stereotype of lying, thieving Gypsies. We lived in the largest Roma community in the world. When we were there, twenty years ago, they lacked access to education, so most men never made it past eighth grade. Women might have reached that level or not even made it past fourth. Those living in tents were even worse off.
But I’ll tell you this about them: Though they never read a Christian book or heard any of the fancy doctrinal and theological terms you might know, they had faith. Our little house church saw healing after healing. Twenty years later, they are still experiencing the fruits of faith.
One man, who came to Christ during our time in their community, had a severe stroke this past year. His wife was told he’d never walk or talk again and would be incontinent. They got him into a car (not theirs; they’re too poor to own one), and his wife prayed. By the time they reached their home, just fifteen minutes later, he was healed. Simple faith.
The Danger of Overcomplicating Faith
I’m convinced all our Christian how-to books hurt us far more than they help. They keep us from simple faith. What about just believing that God exists and that He is loving? Isn’t that enough? Instead, we try to get from God rather than simply believing in Him and allowing Him to give. We do this in every area of life. Marriage? There’s a how-to for that. Parenting? Plenty of those. But in pursuing all this knowledge—which then becomes a burden—we miss the one true source of wisdom and knowledge, the One who gives us the help we need to carry it out.
God is all-knowing, all-wise, all-good, all-loving, all-holy, all-powerful, all-righteous, and just. He is perfect, and He wants to be our teacher. He promises to help. We’re told to ask for wisdom if we need it, so why don’t we? Why do we choose to complicate things and make life difficult? The only reason I can think of is a lack of faith. We’re not believing something about God. Think about something you need guidance on. It could be your life direction, how to help a family member, how to show love to someone you’re struggling with, how to break free from a sin or bad habit, or even a practical matter at home or work. We can take anything to God.
Now, ask yourself these questions:
Do you believe God is wise and has the wisdom you need?
Do you believe God knows all details—past, present, and future—and has the expertise to guide you?
Do you believe God is powerful and able to act on your behalf?
Do you believe God is in control and that no one can stop Him from acting?
Do you believe God loves you with steadfast and unchanging devotion?
Do you believe God cares about your situation?
Do you believe God is good and has perfect plans for your life?
If you can say yes to all of these, you have faith in the living God, and you can trust Him. What could you worry about if a good and loving God was willing and able to act on your behalf—whether by intervening in your situation, enlightening you with wisdom, or guiding and protecting you? Do you believe in a loving, powerful God who hears the prayers of His children and delights in acting on their behalf? He just wants us to come to Him, believe He exists, and trust that He rewards those who seek Him. He is willing and ready. Are you? Put everything else away. Get alone with God. Take just your Bible, maybe a notebook and pen. Talk with Him—like you believe He’s there with you! Ask your questions. Expect His help and guidance. “He is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance” (Isaiah 28:29).
Know Him
What if there was only one thing you needed to do? What if you could throw away the to-do lists, empty your calendar, and put the how-tos back on the shelf? What if it really was simple? What if all you needed was to know Him? What if everything else just flowed from that? If we knew God, we’d love Him. He is our Creator and good Father. He gave His beloved Son over to die for our sins so we could be with Him—our holy and perfect God who does all things well. If we knew Him, we’d love Him.
If we knew God and loved Him, we’d receive His love for us. We’d know He loves to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. We’d know that if we delighted in Him and made Him our heart’s desire, He would give Himself to us.
If we knew God and received His love, we’d love others. We’d pour out what was poured into us. We’d live with kindness, goodness, patience, and self-control. We’d be joyful, at peace, faithful, and gentle.
If we knew God and loved others, we’d fulfill the whole law. We’d be blameless before God—washed clean by His forgiveness and compelled by His Spirit to love.
If we knew God and obeyed His law, we’d know we were pleasing to Him. Our prayers would be answered because our hearts would be aligned with His desires.
If we knew God and trusted Him to hear and answer our prayers, we could live in full faith and confidence. We would have what we needed and would always be protected and provided for in His perfect ways.
If we knew God and lived in full faith, we wouldn’t worry. The troubles of this world wouldn’t choke out His life in us. Trials and temptations wouldn’t uproot us from His love. We could simply look at Him and rest, knowing we are well loved.
If we knew Him and didn’t worry about life’s demands, we could let go of our to-dos and just walk with Him daily, letting Him lead us to what is truly needed.
Do you know Him?
Lee Giles is the creator of Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool, a free online Christian homeschool curriculum providing quality education for children around the globe in order to offer families the option of homeschooling whether or not they feel the lack of time, money, or know-how. If you want to pursue knowing God, consider going through Lee’s free discipleship course, found on the allinonehomeschool.com site.
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