Tag: keeping

Do you ever feel like our society keeps demanding more and more of you, your kids, your family…all in the name of success in this world? Our country definitely seems to also have the “I deserve these things” and “I want more and more” attitude. My older teen daughter and I were talking about this topic recently.

Entitlement of anything and everything seems rampant in our society today. I am not sure that is necessarily a good thing. For me personally, I try to live a life where I don’t want to have the best of everything or need a lot of “things” to make me happy. I think that quality got passed down to my first two children; not so much to the third though.  I hope my life reflects a life where all these material “things” are not a priority. One day all the “things” will pass away.

We still only have the basic cable at our house so that we get some clear reception on the TV. It was a nice treat a few times through the years when we had more channels due to a “special” from the cable company. But, watching TV isn’t a big priority at our house. Quite surprising in our culture today, one child didn’t have a cell phone until just starting college this past year, and another will finally be getting one when entering high school.  And, you can probably guess, none of us have iPhones.

Along those lines, I think of the conversation with my daughter who was expressing that nowadays more and more is expected at an earlier age. Know your ABC’s by the time you’re two, start reading by the time you’re three, take as many college courses as you can in high school, keep climbing the corporate ladder, and the list goes on and on.

Are all these advances for the “right” reasons?

Are all those things necessarily what we should be focusing on?

Or are they pulling us away from time with God and reaching out to others?

Yes, on one hand it is good to want to increase your knowledge but not to the extent of you missing out on the simple pleasures in life like when you think of the good ole days…

….leaving time for a leisurely walk to observe the beauty of nature around you

….talking face to face with someone rather than wondering what the tone of their text is

….sitting on the front porch saying hello to the neighbors as they walk by

….or taking time to talk with a friend who is trying to figure something out.

Aren’t those the really important things in life?  Seeing and experiencing God all along the way in the simple things in life.

Living simply can be a good thing. It can provide for more opportunities to look for those that need a hand and do something to help build the kingdom of God while in this world.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statues of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  –Psalm 19:7