It Just Isn’t That Simple


Remember those days when a box and some sticks were all that you needed to be entertained for hours?

When your greatest fear was that you were having spinach for dinner?

And answers like this actually got you an A?

Man, those were the days.

And things were so black and white.
Don’t steal.
Don’t lie.
Don’t hit.
Be nice.
Be kind.
Do as mother says.
Forgive and make up—I don’t care who started it.
God loves you.

Somewhere along the way, though, it became much less black and white.

Relationships aren’t as simple anymore—with anyone.
People aren’t always nice.
People steal.
People lie.
People hit.
Some aren’t kind or nice.
You can’t always do what mother says—and, unfortunately, forgiveness doesn’t always equal a restoration of trust.
And sometimes…it doesn’t really seem like God is loving…or that He even exists.

While a mother’s (or father’s) love is probably the most unconditional example we could think of…

It isn’t perfect.
I get frustrated with my daughter.
She makes me mad sometimes.
(And any parent who says that they’ve never been in this state is lying.)
And while I will always love her, I will not always make the best decisions—and I will not always show it successfully.

Life isn’t simple.

Even choosing to “Live Simply” isn’t that simple. It takes work to live simply.
(Ugh—see! So stinkin’ complicated!)

There is very little in this life that is simple. So I must cling to those things that are.
I must allow myself to be swept away in the love that my husband and I share—the ups and the downs—in it’s simplicity.
I must enjoy those beautiful moments where my daughter smiles at me—even when the house is a mess—in it’s simplicity.
I must treasure those times where everything is right—even if it doesn’t last long—in it’s simplicity.
I must trust that God is in control and that He has my best interests at heart—even when what He tells me doesn’t make sense to the rest of the world, or even to myself—in it’s simplicity.

Because the only truly unconditional love that exists is from my Heavenly Father.

Luke 12:6-7
“Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Fall 2011. Grand Lake. By Michael Letney.

5 responses to “It Just Isn’t That Simple”

  1. I often sit and think about God and what he may think about us, and about space and the concept of time. When I first became a Christian it was simple it was easy. Now that I’m older more thoughts come to my head, both contradictory and revelation. I’ts simple if you turn your brain off like when when I was 16-17, but now I’m 30 and things are different now. I hope it gets simple again when I’m older, when I start to round home base, I think it will be simple when we get closer to Him, not only spiritually but physically, right before we die.

    • I guess we just have to take the simple truths where we can. Like God loves us. I know that. It’s all those things in life that make things complicated, I think….and maybe you’re right. It’s when we are in the middle of life that things get so busy that we probably forget what it’s all really about…haha and maybe when you’re older you just won’t care anymore about what others think and such…guess we will have to wait and see. But I’m not in any hurry to figure it out 😉

      • Yes no rush on figuring it out yet, just enjoy all the days that Gods gives us and always try to give thanks. Even when I don’t want to sometimes.