21 September 2010 | Frances Gooderson
(Isaiah 40: 21-40)
As we begin to think about what a rule of life might look like for us, I have been reflecting on what are some of my own ‘rules of life’. On reflection, I think there has been one rule of life, which has remained a constant challenge and aspiration for me and I would like to unpack this a bit tonight.
When I was growing up, the hub of our house was our small, cosy and very cluttered kitchen where meals were shared, time was spent together, arguments played out and chaos often reigned. One of my strongest memories of the kitchen (apart from the vibrant orange paintwork and dramatically patterned wallpaper!) was the fridge, on which we had prayers and pictures of people we needed to be thinking about. Nelson Mandela looked out on us for a long time, as we longed for his release from imprisonment. At the centre was a piece of paper which said ‘LIVE MORE SIMPLY THAT OTHERS MAY SIMPLY LIVE’, a phrase I have subsequently discovered has been attributed to Ghandi.
As I think back to my childhood I can see that in small ways our family was trying to work this out; the paradox being that it often didn’t seem that simple. As the second sister I always had hand on clothes and my Mum made and repaired most of our clothes. Recycling and reusing was the order of the day, adding to the clutter. Piles of paper of ‘things that needed more thought about’ accumulated, often newsletters about the needs of others, issues of justice, campaigns to join, action to be taken... I sometimes longed to live in one of my friend’s ordered and clutter free houses!
The phrase ‘LIVE MORE SIMPLY THAT OTHERS MAY SIMPLY LIVE’ has stuck with me and feels like something that I am called to do. It often seems a slightly overwhelming call, but I am reminded that I am not called to do it alone. I am working with the God who stretched out the universe and who asks me to keep holding onto and living the prayer ‘your will be done…your kingdom come’. At times of feeling overwhelmed by the statistics of how many children and adults haven’t got the opportunity to simply live, I find encouragement in the words of Isaiah ‘Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.’ (Isaiah 40:28-29)
I sense that if I could get hold of the essence of this concept and live it, I might be getting closer to what Jesus was talking about when he said ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’. (John10:10) Certainly I have noticed that when my life has been at its simplest, I have experienced a deeper appreciation of people, of creation and of ways to use things resourcefully.
Living in Africa alongside people who had a fraction of the ‘stuff’ I had and yet had a faith, joy and hope in God that was greater than anything I had ever grasped, I realised that here was treasure that was worth seeking with all my heart. And observing older people in my life I have often been aware of a different approach to living; a desire to use resources wisely and to think about how things can be mended before automatically heading off to buy a replacement. I am in no doubt that if I am to grasp this concept I need to learn from the wisdom passed from generation to generation and between different cultures.
Yet, living in London, I sometimes find it hard to maintain the desire to seek that treasure and that wisdom. I get all too easily distracted, by all the opportunities to consume. I need people around me to encourage me to travel light and to help me to work out what it means to live in a way that is more sustainable, in a way that recognises that we only have one planet and that the effects of my over consumption often hit the poorest of the world the hardest. So, I really do need to live more simply, that others may simply live.
The beauty of this phrase for me is that it speaks of a connectedness to others and a call to live generously, thoughtfully and more freely. Jesus’s ministry seemed to often focus on setting people free, and empowering them to live well together. Personally, my hopes are that a rule of life will draw us together into a more generous way of being, in terms of all God has given us, and will help us to think creatively about what it looks like to seek first the kingdom of God.
And so from the hustle and bustle of my family kitchen to the Isaiah community and I thank God that I have stumbled across this small committed group of people who remind me that we are called to bring a fullness of life to others, to pray with others for issues of justice and to work out how we can be part of the answer to our prayers. I look forward to working out together how we can root our life deeper in God and bring ‘life in all its fullness’ to those around us. Perhaps ‘living more simply, that others may simply live’ will be part of that in some way.
To finish, here is a poem from the Breathe network, a Christian network for simpler living, which has been set up to help Christians to work together and to be catalysts for change in their communities. It speaks of ‘less stuff, more life’ – more life for others and more life for us.
‘The promise of life’
Because life is a gift, we live it thankfully,
Savour what we have, pray for what we need
No longer hurried, distracted or worried
We’ll walk through each moment with God.
Because everything is a gift, we live with open hands,
Tread lightly on the earth,
Share freely our homes and our things
No longer restlessly chasing identity
We’ll be known by our love, not our logos
Because giving is a gift we live generously
Give ourselves deeply to family and community,
Give joyfully to those in need.
No longer caught in the consumer dream
We’ll invest our all in the kingdom of love.
.
As we begin to think about what a rule of life might look like for us, I have been reflecting on what are some of my own ‘rules of life’. On reflection, I think there has been one rule of life, which has remained a constant challenge and aspiration for me and I would like to unpack this a bit tonight.
When I was growing up, the hub of our house was our small, cosy and very cluttered kitchen where meals were shared, time was spent together, arguments played out and chaos often reigned. One of my strongest memories of the kitchen (apart from the vibrant orange paintwork and dramatically patterned wallpaper!) was the fridge, on which we had prayers and pictures of people we needed to be thinking about. Nelson Mandela looked out on us for a long time, as we longed for his release from imprisonment. At the centre was a piece of paper which said ‘LIVE MORE SIMPLY THAT OTHERS MAY SIMPLY LIVE’, a phrase I have subsequently discovered has been attributed to Ghandi.
As I think back to my childhood I can see that in small ways our family was trying to work this out; the paradox being that it often didn’t seem that simple. As the second sister I always had hand on clothes and my Mum made and repaired most of our clothes. Recycling and reusing was the order of the day, adding to the clutter. Piles of paper of ‘things that needed more thought about’ accumulated, often newsletters about the needs of others, issues of justice, campaigns to join, action to be taken... I sometimes longed to live in one of my friend’s ordered and clutter free houses!
The phrase ‘LIVE MORE SIMPLY THAT OTHERS MAY SIMPLY LIVE’ has stuck with me and feels like something that I am called to do. It often seems a slightly overwhelming call, but I am reminded that I am not called to do it alone. I am working with the God who stretched out the universe and who asks me to keep holding onto and living the prayer ‘your will be done…your kingdom come’. At times of feeling overwhelmed by the statistics of how many children and adults haven’t got the opportunity to simply live, I find encouragement in the words of Isaiah ‘Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.’ (Isaiah 40:28-29)
I sense that if I could get hold of the essence of this concept and live it, I might be getting closer to what Jesus was talking about when he said ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’. (John10:10) Certainly I have noticed that when my life has been at its simplest, I have experienced a deeper appreciation of people, of creation and of ways to use things resourcefully.
Living in Africa alongside people who had a fraction of the ‘stuff’ I had and yet had a faith, joy and hope in God that was greater than anything I had ever grasped, I realised that here was treasure that was worth seeking with all my heart. And observing older people in my life I have often been aware of a different approach to living; a desire to use resources wisely and to think about how things can be mended before automatically heading off to buy a replacement. I am in no doubt that if I am to grasp this concept I need to learn from the wisdom passed from generation to generation and between different cultures.
Yet, living in London, I sometimes find it hard to maintain the desire to seek that treasure and that wisdom. I get all too easily distracted, by all the opportunities to consume. I need people around me to encourage me to travel light and to help me to work out what it means to live in a way that is more sustainable, in a way that recognises that we only have one planet and that the effects of my over consumption often hit the poorest of the world the hardest. So, I really do need to live more simply, that others may simply live.
The beauty of this phrase for me is that it speaks of a connectedness to others and a call to live generously, thoughtfully and more freely. Jesus’s ministry seemed to often focus on setting people free, and empowering them to live well together. Personally, my hopes are that a rule of life will draw us together into a more generous way of being, in terms of all God has given us, and will help us to think creatively about what it looks like to seek first the kingdom of God.
And so from the hustle and bustle of my family kitchen to the Isaiah community and I thank God that I have stumbled across this small committed group of people who remind me that we are called to bring a fullness of life to others, to pray with others for issues of justice and to work out how we can be part of the answer to our prayers. I look forward to working out together how we can root our life deeper in God and bring ‘life in all its fullness’ to those around us. Perhaps ‘living more simply, that others may simply live’ will be part of that in some way.
To finish, here is a poem from the Breathe network, a Christian network for simpler living, which has been set up to help Christians to work together and to be catalysts for change in their communities. It speaks of ‘less stuff, more life’ – more life for others and more life for us.
‘The promise of life’
Because life is a gift, we live it thankfully,
Savour what we have, pray for what we need
No longer hurried, distracted or worried
We’ll walk through each moment with God.
Because everything is a gift, we live with open hands,
Tread lightly on the earth,
Share freely our homes and our things
No longer restlessly chasing identity
We’ll be known by our love, not our logos
Because giving is a gift we live generously
Give ourselves deeply to family and community,
Give joyfully to those in need.
No longer caught in the consumer dream
We’ll invest our all in the kingdom of love.
.
