The Joy of Simplicity

 

 

"Real art is basic emotion. If a scene is handled with simplicity - and I don't mean simple - it'll be good, and the public will know it." - John Wayne

Is there such a thing as simplicity being an emotion?  If not, it should be. In recent days what brought me great joy was listening to the joy and laughter coming from my neighbor's kids as they were down by the stream feeding the ducks. As I pierced through my patio door at their happiness of doing something so simple that brought them exuberant joy, you couldn't help but smile.

 

I think in today's busy culture we have forgotten the simplicity of life and what it can bring, not just to our health, but to our soul. A simple walk in the park, an afternoon sitting on a sunlit porch reading a good book, or an evening drive on a hot summer's night with maybe a quick stop for ice cream, oh the joy simplicity can bring.

 

Simplicity can also mean being real when everyone around you is either trying to fit in or trying too hard to impress someone else.

 

   And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Phil. 4:8)

It is quite hard at times to do what Paul suggests here in Philippians, especially when things are not going the way we want or we are faced with a difficult circumstance. And it's even harder to praise God when we don't feel like it or we're too busy.  I like what T.D Jakes reminds us,

"It's important to praise with your mouth even when your head disagrees."

 

Our soul is the part of us that is considered to be our personality. If we can get our soul to be in perfect peace and in union with God's Word and His promises, simplicity will become a part of our personality.

 

Have you ever noticed that people will respond more to you when you approach them as just being real?

 

The aforementioned quote by actor John Wayne resembles that of many of the great actors from the early years. One of my favorite movie scenes of all time comes at the end of the Oscar winning film

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. The scene stars Hepburn and Tracy together for the very last time. They appeared in several movies together, but this was the final act as Tracy was dying of cancer and Hepburn knew it. Katherine's tears in that final scene were real, no acting was involved, and you could just feel exactly what Hepburn was feeling. It was a basic emotion that anyone and everyone could relate to.

It was a basic emotion that brought Hepburn an Academy Award. People responded to her tears of simply being real.

Simplicity, a basic emotion, one that everyone can readily respond to at any given moment. Simplicity, it's  how God wants us to approach life; taking His Word and living it out in the simplest manner we know and trusting Him with a full assurance. Even when everyone around us may be moving at the speed of light.