I dug into my old DVDs the other night to re-watch, just in time for the Beijing Olympics, the 1981 Oscar best picture winner—“Chariots of Fire.” It’s a true story of two runners chasing the dream of winning a Gold medal in the 1924 Paris Olympics and becoming the world’s fastest man. Of course, the movie is known too for its soundtrack which has become classic background music for running and other sports events or even scenes done in slow motion .

I’ve always been struck by Eric Liddell’s joyful recognition of God’s gift (“God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure”), and his unwavering stand for his spiritual convictions (“the Sabbath is His”). Some know that after his dramatic stint in the Olympics, he went on to be a decent, sacrificial, and well-loved Christian missionary in China until the day he died. Definitely one of my heroes.

This time around though, I took note of an angle I didn’t quite notice before. It’s Harold Abrahams’ intense determination and desire to be trained right and well. He sought and pursued a certain master trainer and coach who could prepare him for the run of his life. He was taught the skills that shaped him to be all that he could be as a runner.

That clearly strikes me as a perfect picture of being trained, mentored, prepared, taught, and discipled by the Master Trainer-Teacher for the race of life. How much do I really want to be apprenticed and taught by Jesus Himself in the greatest race of all—living life to the full? Am I intentional about my “spiritual training schedule”? Do I fully cooperate with my Life Trainer-Coach as he makes me fit for kingdom living? These are some of the questions that will chase me as I continue to see images of athletes in the days and weeks ahead, and as I watch and read the stories behind the Olympic events in Beijing. So, let’s go for the gold…the buried treasure…the pearl of great price—life to the limit with Jesus teaching, training, apprenticing and cheering us on.

“It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness…magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions…

“But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

“…Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

“Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives…” –Paul, Letter to the Galatians

 Dear Lord, I don’t want the “kind of life [that] develops out of trying to get [my] own way all the time”. I don’t want to be a slave to my way, to be driven by my feelings. Instead, I want the way of love, the way of peace, the way of patience, the way of compassion, the way of goodness, the way of faithfulness, the way of gentleness…the way of Jesus. So help me to follow you, submit to you every day and every moment. Master Jesus, apprentice me daily in your way. Let me see how you do things and hear you say, “This is the way, walk in it”. Let me learn from you and over time become like you. This is what my heart aches for and my prayer. Amen.

As I was studying and reflecting on simplicity or frugality, I just realized how relevant this practice or discipline is today. Not only in personally cultivating the virtue of contentment and in creating community, but also in our witness to the world and in our care of creation.

For example, in a recent survey on why Muslims become followers of Jesus, “respondents (750 Muslims who have decided to follow Christ between 1991 and 2007) ranked the lifestyle of Christians as the most important influence in their decision to follow Christ…Some poor people said the…Christian workers they knew had adopted, contrary to their expectations, a simple lifestyle, wearing local clothes and observing local customs of not eating pork, drinking alcohol, or touching those of the opposite sex.”[1]

That’s in the area of our witness. Simplicity is also relevant, in fact necessary, in our stewardship of the earth. This was pointed out in a reflection prepared by the Indian director of an Eco-Justice Network:

“…The environment is becoming ever less capable of sustaining the growing impact of our escalating consumption patterns. Everywhere our forests are overlogged…our grasslands overgrazed…our groundwaters overtapped, our seas overfished, and nearly all our terrestrial and marine environment is overpolluted with chemical and radioactive poisons…We must reconsider our consumption radically and fundamentally, because as a planet we have no other choice. Simple life is a compelling necessity now.” ^[2]

But before we lunge into simple living, we must first be aware of the big barriers to this kind of lifestyle so that we may remove them and be free to live simply. There are several of these threats but let me cite only the two biggest ones.

Biggest Barriers to Simplicity

1.     Consumerism

This is simply defined as “people purchasing goods or consuming materials in excess of basic needs.”[3]

Although consumerism is commonly associated with the Western world, it is multi-cultural and non-geographical, as seen today in Tokyo, Singapore, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei, Manila and New Delhi.[4]

Now there are three different kinds of consumerism, according to one Mennonite pastor:

First is mainstream consumerism which is mega. Huge malls exemplify this kind of consumerism…as does the mega-church. Then you have counter consumerism, which is savviness. They are consuming an identity that says we are different. Instead of Starbucks you’ll go to the independent coffee shops. But it is still coffee shops and it is still consuming to form an identity. The so-called emerging church is largely counter consumer. It is edgy, hip and trendy. But it is really no less consumeristic. The third type is anti-consumerism. Mennonites, for example, resist both the hip Apples and the hegemonic or dominant Windows. They would rather not have a computer. They’re very, very, very careful not to excessively consume.[5]

The problem is not consuming to live, but rather living to consume. We assign value to ourselves and others based on the goods we purchase. One’s identity is now constructed by the clothes you wear, the car you drive, and your MP3 player. So, to appeal to religious consumers, modern churches “commodify” their congregations--slapping our church’s logo on shirts, coffee mugs, and bible covers.[6]

So, excessive consumerism has invaded even the church. Here’s a description of 21st Century expectations in a typical conservative evangelical church:

·        Be slim and physically fit and toned

·        Eat low-fat, low-carb, high protein meals

·        Have great hair and body shape

·        Be computer-savvy

·        Get into a good school

·        Be popular

·        Marry a Christian who has met all these criteria

·        Have kids that are cute, smart and well-behaved

Well the danger is--the temptation is--to become enslaved by this modern consumerist culture and then just add church on top of it. Jesus says, No. God never intended people to live their lives in slavery to convenience, consumerism, commercialism. You’re the salt of the earth. Salt doesn’t exist for its own sake.

Moreover, Jesus, Richard Foster noted, declared war on the materialism of his day. (And he declares war on the materialism of our day as well.) The Aramaic term for wealth is “mammon” and Jesus condemns it as a rival to God: “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13).[7]

So how do we engage this consumerist culture and interact with it? “Jesus used three primary movements in every context. The first movement is towards. So he was incarnational. He entered. People like to use the word relevant for this. But Jesus also moved against the culture, he was resistant. He overturned tables in the temple and said ‘You brood of vipers.’ So he was both relevant and resistant. And third, Jesus withdrew to quiet places. He was also distant, he moved away. So you have three rhythmic movements of toward, against, and away--relevance, resistance, and distance. And none of those can be static. They always have to be happening.”[8]

2.     Preoccupation of the Church with “ABC” (Attendance, Building, Cash)

Spirituality author Eugene Peterson said, “If you look at the numbers and money, (modern) churches in some ways are the most ‘successful’ churches ever. And yet, I think it could be argued, we are at probably one of the low points because of the silliness and triviality that characterize so much of church life these days.”[9]

It is good that a few of these modern churches are realizing this. In a recent and surprising turn of events, Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church admirably admitted:

“Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn’t helping people that much…We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.”[10]

St. Paul warns and lists greed alongside adultery and thievery and declares that those who live in such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Simplicity, on the other hand, frees us from the modern mania to possess, accumulate, and the attitude that “more is better.” It brings sanity to our compulsive extravagance, and peace to our frantic spirit.[11]

As Matthew 6:31-32 of The Message puts it, “What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving.”

What ways then can we practice simplicity? Richard Foster suggests outward expressions of simplicity.[12] Let me mention some of these and add to the list some of my own and from other sources as well.

Outward Expressions of Simplicity

·        Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status. Cars should be bought for their utility, not their prestige. A home should be chosen for its livability rather than how much it will impress others. Stop trying to impress people with your clothes and impress them with your life.

·        Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you. Learn to distinguish between a real psychological need, such as cheerful surroundings, and an addiction--something you cannot do without, such as television, coffee. If money has a grip on your heart, give some away and feel the inner release.

·        Develop a habit of giving things away. De-accumulate. Masses of things that are not needed complicate life. They must be sorted and stored and dusted and resorted and restored.

“Our greatest challenge,” said Rob Bell, “will be to learn how to move this (unbelievable amassing of wealth and consumer goods) into blessings for others, or we will continue to be more selfish and indifferent to the cries of the world.”

·        Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry. Timesaving devices almost never save time. Most gadgets are built to break down and wear out and so complicate our lives rather than enhance them.

·        Learn to enjoy things without owning them. Many things in life can be enjoyed without possessing or controlling them. Share things.

·        Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation. Walk whenever you can. Listen to the birds. Marvel in the rich colors everywhere. Simplicity means to discover once again that "the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it" (Ps. 24:1).

·        Look with a healthy skepticism at all "buy now, pay later" schemes. They are a trap and serve to deepen your bondage. In biblical times, charging interest (not just exorbitant interest, but any interest) was viewed as unbrotherly exploitation of another’s misfortune, hence a denial of Christian community.

·        Shun whatever would distract you from your main goal. God give us the courage, wisdom, and strength always to hold as the number one priority of our lives to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

Here are additional strategies to live simply and spiritual exercises to cultivate contentment:

·        Reduce waste (Images of Waste: 60,000 plastic bags used in the U.S. alone every 5 seconds, 106,000 aluminum cans used in the U.S. alone every 30 seconds, 426,000 cellphones retired in the U.S. alone every day).

The question to ask as we consider simplifying and reducing is: “Even though something is commonplace, do we really need it in our lives?”[13]

Jim Elliot, who along with four missionary companions was killed in an attempt to bring the gospel to the Auca Indians of Ecuador, had this as part of his personal creed: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” This is also a sound principle when deciding how much is enough.

·        From my personal experience, drive less, and maybe for a month or so, go computer-free.

·        Go TV-free for, maybe, 3 months?! Advertising is criticized for encouraging a consumerist mentality. Many advocates of voluntary simplicity tend to agree that cutting out, or cutting down, on television viewing is a key ingredient in simple living.[14]

·        And maybe live with others from your church community. If you can’t live together, at least find a way to share resources (children’s clothes/toys, etc).[15]

In Closing…

Some closing words of clarification. Whatever outward expressions of simplicity that we intend to practice, it is very important to remember that, as Richard Foster clarified, “The Christian discipline of simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward life-style. Both the inward and the outward aspects of simplicity are essential…To attempt to arrange an outward life-style of simplicity without the inward reality leads to deadly legalism…Experiencing the inward reality liberates us outwardly…The lust for status and position is gone because we no longer need status and position…Our goods become available to others…We join the experience that Richard E. Byrd, after months alone in the barren Arctic, recorded in his journal, ‘I am learning…that a man can live profoundly without masses of things.’”[16]

Another word of clarification: “God intends that we should have adequate material provision. There is misery today from a simple lack of provision just as there is misery when people try to make a life out of provision. Forced poverty is evil and should be renounced. Nor does the Bible condone an extreme asceticism. Scripture declares consistently and forcefully that the creation is good and to be enjoyed…Without simplicity we will either capitulate to the ‘mammon’ spirit of this present evil age, or we will fall into an un-Christian legalistic asceticism… Simplicity sets us free to receive the provision of God as a gift that is not ours to keep and can be freely shared with others.”[17]

In other words, simplicity is something more, something other than just doing without or doing it yourself. Its essence is neither forsaking nor striving. Its essence, rather, is listening: What has God put in your heart? Simplicity is, once having discerned that, being content with it. In short, simplicity is being content with God.[18]