Life Made Simple

The other day I was doing some much needed "spring cleaning" in my bedroom and rediscovered pages and pages of sketches I had made many years back.  The photo above is an example of a few of them. I remember when I was younger that I would spend hours at a time either playing the piano or drawing.  

I haven't drawn for several years now and I'm not certain why.  I suppose life has become busier for me.

And then I realized how much I miss the simple pleasures of life when they are absent.  How often do I simply sit still and listen to the birds singing?  When was the last time I picked up a photo album and remembered happy memories? 

Life was so simple as a child.  Perhaps it was because I didn't know about all the responsibilities I would have to bear.  Or maybe it was because I didn't worry so much.  As a child I was sheltered from the cruelties of the world.  I lived in a reality that was always pleasant and loving.  

At times I sincerely miss it.

Now as an adult I see the world and myself differently.  To quote I Corinthians 13:11, " When I was a child I spoke, and thought, and reasoned like a child. But when I grew up I put away childish things."  I think one of the most difficult things for me to realize as I grew up was that things cannot stay as they have always been.  One day I would have to care for the parents who so wonderfully cared for me.

That realization, coupled with the fact that I had a responsibility to work hard and support myself, catapulted my understanding of life.  I was getting older and so were my parents and my friends and everyone around me.  One day younger people would be looking to me for advice and support!  That was an amazing thought!

And then I realized that I didn't know how to master life.  I didn't know all the answers and I didn't know how I could fulfill every responsibility set before me.  I was frightened and sad and discouraged.  But then I was reminded of another "childish" activity... sharing my deepest longings with God.  As a child those longings involved requests for childish things.  But as an adult I had a lot of serious questions and concerns.  Would God be interested in hearing about them?  Didn't He already know?

But as I read and studied the Bible I learned that the Christians within its pages suffered the same struggles I go through today.  They too didn't know all the answers.  They too at times felt terribly insufficient in their abilities to fulfill all responsibilities.  The stories of Abraham, Moses, David, and Esther flooded my mind.  Yes God knows my concerns and desires but wants to have a relationship with me.  He wants me to feel safe and comfortable telling Him how I feel.

Part of growing up requires that we learn who to trust.  For me I have learned that God is safe.  I have learned that even when the whole world is too busy to pay any attention to me He is always available and waiting.  His patience is astounding.  He lets me wrestle with things until I realize I need His input to get things right.

Life doesn't have to be complicated.  It doesn't have to be frightening.  If I trust God and lean on Him then I can enjoy life, no matter what happens. Life is made simple when we turn to God for guidance and support.  He is all we need.

" Even youth grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40: 30-31