The king comes to your doorstep from his palace many, many miles away. He travels through desert, forest, thunder and storm, hail and snow, sandstorm, wind, and all the perils of the world that you can imagine - to meet you at your door. Why? And would you open it?

Perhaps the real question should actually be - why would you not open it?

When I picture God’s love, this is what comes to mind. I have not lived a perfect life, yet this King comes to meet me where I am. Should it not be the other way around? Should I not be the one who has to work my way to his palace gates, and find reason to enter and meet him there? Yet he is the one who chooses to come to me. What love; what grace!

This love demands a response though - why would you leave the greatest visitor ever to visit you at your doorstep, to continue enjoying the ignorant comforts in your home? I am reminded (and have to keep reminding myself) that this can be me so much of the time. I’m comfortable living an easy, “simple” life, going about my friendships, family relationships, uni degree, daily life; but I don’t think comfort is what this life is about. When Christ knocks, I want to open the door gladly and let him reign in my home, whatever that might look like. 

The king has come to meet you at your door - will you open it?

Psalm 27:4
“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.”

Psalm 127:1
“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.”

i. Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status
In building or buying homes, thought should be given to livability rather than how much it will impress others. Consider your clothes. Most people have no need for more clothes. They buy more not because they need clothes, but because they want to keep up with the fashions. Hang the fashions. Buy only what you need. Wear your clothes until they are worn out.

ii. Reject anything that is producing an addiction to you.
Any of the media that you find you cannot do without, get rid of: radios, stereos, magazines, movies, newspapers, books. If money has a grip on your heart, give some away and feel the inner release. Simplicity is freedom, not slavery. Refuse to be a slave to anything but God.

iii. Develop a habit of giving things away.
If you find that that you are becoming attached to some possession, consider giving it to someone who needs it.

iv. Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry.
Propagandists try to convince us that because the newest model of this or that has a new feature we must sell the old one and buy the new one. Often “new” features are only a way of inducing us to buy what we do not need. Probably that refrigerator will serve us quite well for the rest of our lives even without the automatic ice maker and rainbow colours.

v. Learn to enjoy things without owning them.
Owning things is an obsession in our culture. If we own it, we feel we can control it; and if we can control it, we feel it will give us more pleasure. The idea is an illusion. Many things in life can be enjoyed without possessing or controlling them. Share things. Enjoy the beach without feeling you have to buy a piece of it. Enjoy public parks and libraries.

vi. Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation.
Get close to the earth. Walk whenever you can. Listen to the birds - they are God’s messengers. Simplicity means to discover once again that “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (Ps 24:1)

vii. Look with healthy skepticism at all “buy now, pay later” schemes.
Charging interest was viewed as an unbrotherly exploitation of another’s misfortune, hence a denial of Christian community. Jesus denounced usury as a sign of the old life and admonished his disciples to “lend, expecting nothing in return” (Luke 6:35). These words of Scripture should not be construed into some kind of universal law obligatory upon all cultures at all times. But neither should they be thought of as totally irrelevant to modern society. Certainly prudence as well as simplicity would demand that we use extreme caution before incurring debt.

viii. Obey Jesus’ instructions about plain, honest speech.
“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil” (Matt 5:37). If you consent to do a task, do it. Avoid flattery and half-truths. Make honesty and integrity the distinguishing characteristics of your speech. If our speech comes out of obedience to the divine Center, we will find no reason to turn our “yes” into “no” and our “no” into “yes.” We will be living in simplicity of speech because our words will have only one Source.

ix. Reject anything that will breed the oppression of others.
This is one of the most difficult and sensitive issues for twentieth-century Christians to face, but face it we must. In a world of limited resources, does our lust for wealth mean the poverty of others? Should we buy products that are made by forcing people into dull assembly-line jobs? Do we enjoy hierarchical relationships in the company or factory that keep others under us?

x. Shun whatever would distract you from your main goal.
God gives 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,” understanding all that that implies. To do so is to live in simplicity.

Not gonna lie, I used to have massive fomo - probably at its peak in high school and first year uni. It kinda stopped when I thought more about where my time, energy, and priorities were going, and what they were going in to (much of which has been shaped by my mum to be quite honest). Still though, small things like seeing photos of friends at events which I couldn’t make it to or chose not to go to can make me feel regretful. 

It got me thinking about what’s at the core of the human heart - is it really “fear of missing out” because we’ll miss out on the fun, or is it something deeper than that? Like is it more to do with a need to be included and fulfil the “me” desire we’re all born with, ultimately pointing to our selfishness?; how can I make me feel better, and how can I serve me as my number one priority?

As I usually do, I’m going to try link this back to Christ because that’s the only way to make sense of things. Christ was humble and obedient to the point of death (Phil 2:8), and that’s truly the most unselfish, others-centred thing anyone could ever do - which is why only He could do it. We don’t need to fear missing out, or rather, we shouldn’t fear not getting the best out of life - in fact we don’t need the “best” in this life if our eyes are set on eternity and how we can use our time now for the greater purpose. If Jesus did that for me, for us, then I want to at least try for his sake to do the same!