Is Simple Living Work Really More Heart Work?

We all seem to be striving for simple living, but is simple living really more heart work than clearing out closets?

Is there more to this decluttering and minimalism and saying no, than we realize?

I am beginning to wonder if simple living is really more heart work than just a life of less stuff and fewer items on my to-do list.

I find myself periodically thinking, “There must be a better way!”  Life gets so crazy!  I want to live a more simple lifestyle.  I want to slow down, not be so rushed, not feel like I am constantly living in chaos.  However, even when I declutter my house or I clear our the calendar, sometimes I find there is still something missing.  Something I crave.

Simple living is commonly associated with minimalism and minimalism is then associated with decluttering. By definition declutter means to remove a mess; to organize and prioritize. 

We are told to get rid of things.  Only keep things that bring us joy.  If you haven’t used it in a year, toss it.  We read about minimalist wardrobes, minimalist decorating, and even minimalist food recipes.

We can “minimalize” our homes, our offices, and our calendars. However, no matter how much stuff we get rid of or how many times we say no to activities, we can still live in chaos.  We can still feel like something is missing.

Have we lost the purpose behind the journey?  Have we lost the end through the means?

Maybe we get so caught up in decluttering our stuff that we lose track of why we really need to declutter in the first place.

What calls us to simplify our lives, to eliminate the clutter surrounding us, and to slow down from the busyness?  What calls us away from the chaos?

I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

Jeremiah 24:7

Decluttering our lives of the many distractions enables our hearts to know God, to be His and for Him to be ours.  Knowing God enables us to love as He loves.

The purpose in the journey is to have a heart that truly knows the one who created it.

The pull to what we have termed “Simple Living” is rooted in our hearts.  It is rooted in the One who knows us and wants to us to know Him.  It is born of a desire to be still and rest in the presence of the One who made us.

I have discovered that simple living is really heart work, because when I live simply without distractions…

my heart becomes free to love in extraordinary ways and to live in the moments in which God has blessed me.

It allows me to feel that contentment and joy and peace that my soul so desperately craves.

I can know my God and know I am His with all my heart.

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