Mongolia Leads The Way
Just a few weeks ago I sat on a firm bed in a modest (by western standards) Mongolian guesthouse.
Thoughtfully a small bottle of fresh water had been placed upon a colored but ageing chest of draws. The remainder of the room's contents are summed up by a few wall-mounted coat hooks, and a spare bed. There were no chairs.
The room had seen many travellers in its unknown years and was tired, yet more so was I.
I wrote in my diary:
Feeling a great and unusual contentment with the absence of the familiar chattels and treasures around me. I sit in a humble apartment, and the beds are hard. It has beautiful views to a snow-laden streetscape, but this scene is far too cold for much human activity. Peace is present in this room, striving is completely absent, so contentment abounds. I am free to delight myself in my Lord alone. Why would I ever exchange this for the pursuit of gold or glory; they just cannot compete?
Soon after my return to Australia, I then stumble upon this anonymous prayer:
Lord, help me to un-clutter my life,
Lead me in the direction of simplicity,
Teach me to listen to my heart, and Yours,
Teach me to welcome simplicity, instead of fearing it,
Lord, I give you these stirrings inside me,
I give you my discontent, my restlessness, my doubt,
I give you all my longings (and belongings), I hold inside,
Help me read these signs of change, of growth,
That I follow where You would lead,
Through that breathtaking and empty space of your open door.
Amen.
Where simplicity appears in a believer's life, spiritual waters miraculously part, and the Lord powerfully enters upon new dry ground.
Then Jesus said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15)
Surely the richest disciple is he who has chosen for the least?
Today's Soul Snippet:
'The devil shapes himself to the fashions of all men'. ~ William Jenkyn
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