Your weekly roundup of insights and resources to help you get more done for the glory of God.
In Today’s Issue:
- How to Simplify Your Life
- How Healthy Is Your Pursuit of Health?
- What Is Self-Discipline?
- Productivity Tip: Keep a Distractions List
- A.W. Tozer on Distraction & Simplicity
Dear steward,
Everywhere I look, I see people talking about wanting a simpler life. They want to get out of the rat race, out of the city, or just plain slow down.
It’s a natural response to the harried pace of modern life. We live in what is perhaps the busiest time in human history. Sure, we may not be as physically active as our ancestors, but because of the internet our minds are overloaded by information and choices in a way that was never possible before. So it’s not surprising that a lot of folks are looking around thinking, “Is it just me? Does anyone else feel like they are drowning? I want out!”
About five years ago, feeling that strong pull to simplify, my wife and I began making moves to create a more sustainable pace of life for our family. And what started with moving closer to work and downsizing to a single car eventually led to a mid-thirties career change and a cross-country move, all in pursuit of a slower, simpler life.
I wrestled with these changes a lot.
- Is simplifying the best way to honor God with my life?
- Is this just a trend, an expression of laziness, a mid-life crisis, or some escapist daydream?
- Or is there really something to this pull to slow down that so many of us seem to be feeling?
If you’re a Christian who is thinking of slowing down and you’re wrestling with some of these same questions, I want to share some thoughts on simple living and some strategies for pursuing it.
Read “How to Simplify Your Life”
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Weekly Word
“But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.”
– Luke 10:41–42a
This world is full of distractions. If we aren’t careful to keep our eyes fixed on Christ, we can busy ourselves with a thousand trivialities and miss the most important thing.
Worth Your Time
- How Healthy Is Your Pursuit of Health? (5 mins) Perhaps you’re familiar with Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 4:7–8, “bodily training is of some value,” but what exactly does he mean by “some value”? How much should we emphasize physical health? Joshua Bremerman explores this question on Desiring God.
- What Is Self-Discipline? (3 mins) Over on Ligonier, Paul Yeulett explores the category of self-discipline through three biblical passages. I especially appreciated his emphasis on the relationship between self-discipline and love. And I’ve been pondering his insight on how planning is an expression of self-control.
- To focus deeper, keep a Distractions List (2 mins) This is a cool productivity idea from Chris Bailey. When you’re trying to focus and you feel the pull toward a distraction, just write the distraction down (e.g. “Checking email,” “Looking at phone,” “Watching YouTube,”). The hack is that by writing down the distraction instead of indulging it, you stay more focused. I’ll be trying this out myself.
Words of Wisdom
“Distractions must be conquered or they will conquer us. So let us cultivate simplicity; let us want fewer things; let us walk in the Spirit; let us fill our minds with the Word of God and our hearts with praise. In that way we can live in peace even in such a distraught world as this.”
– A.W. Tozer
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