Joy Nugget: Simplicity of Heart

 

      I absolutely love this verse! What a perfect picture and example wrapped up in these 2 tiny verses. Every time I come across this verse it always causes me to pause and think..."gladness and simplicity of heart... wow, is that me? Is my heart glad? Is my heart simple?" And it never fails, my answer is usually "there's so much going on"  stress, deadlines, activities, a huge to do list that's not getting done... and I feel almost jealous of those in this verse!

     BUT.... it's my own fault isn't it? How easy it is for us to be busy, with stuff, with worry, with life but... that's not how it should be. There is great conviction in these verses. What would it look like to a lost world if they saw us glad and not worried? What a welcoming atmosphere that would create especially in these times we are living in? 

    We desperately need God's peace in our world today. We need His peace in our hearts. Sometimes we just need to get back to the basics don't we? Being a "minimalist" has become a popular trend lately and neither my husband or I are minimalists by any means, we have tried hard the last couple years to simplify our lives and get rid of things we don't need and not go overboard buying more things we don't need.  And it's been a blessing to get rid of those things …. but "simplicity of heart"? 

     It just sounds lovely doesn't it? The beauty of having a light heart and enjoying God and people. One area that I have not mastered as well as I want to is obeying God in the "do not worry" rule. Man, that's hard isn't it? I do trust my God 100% but still... I find myself worrying at times and though I am human, I will continue to strive and let the Holy Spirit teach me how to not worry. And I am excited for that day to come! Sometimes we can get busy with all the "spiritual" stuff that we can end up missing the whole point of our relationship with Jesus... which can be found in the basics of our belief and within the pages of His Word. Sometimes Christian activities can become the focus of our lives instead of just spending time at His feet, getting to know Him better. Sometimes... the depth comes in the simplicity. These are things I'm learning as I continue on my journey...

     In the meantime, this verse will be on my mind as I work on being glad and having simplicity of heart. Stripping away all the "extras" and focusing on my relationship with Jesus and the things He wants me to learn and do. Being simply His.