Why is the "Simple" so....

COMPLEX??

We've been talking about "Simplicity" at church. Now this is not, as the pastor says, the type of simplifying that will allow us to "sit on the couch and watch more movies or read more books." Nope. This is the type of simplicity that will allow us to be all about building relationships.

Since I'm a relatively BUSY person, I've been thinking about it a lot. especially in terms of church involvement (he's spent a lot of time there). In "normal" churches, there are things to do almost every day of the week. There are men's groups, women's groups, Bible studies, Pot Lucks, choir practice, children's programs, youth activities, etc. etc. etc. Certainly none of those are inherantly "bad" or "wrong". BUT, they can, and do, swallow up our time. And when our time gets swallowed "doing" church, we have no time to be out and about in our community and our world "being the church."

The pastor is really clear that this is not making people our "evangelical targets". In other words, there is no "reason" for the relationship other than simply being a friend. It's not about beating people over the head with OUR faith. It's about respecting and honoring one another and understanding that it's OK that we may be looking at our world through different lenses and from different vantage points.

I have been at the place where all I've done is spend time with people IN the church and never really spent time with those outside of it. For me, this has gradually changed as I've aged and certainly as DH left full-time pastoring in January. I can see the Pastor's point. But it's not simple, it's complex. Probably because it's a bit "out of the box"---and it's "people related".

If we are to build relationships (with more depth than the "hi-how-are-you?" kind) beyond the church: in our workplace, in our neighborhoods, at the soccer field, at the scrapbooking events, at the grocery store, and such, then we have to be intentional. We have to be NICE. We have to SPEAK. We have to be GENUINE. We have to go without an AGENDA. AND, I think, we have to be a bit VULNERABLE and willing to get MESSY! That's the complexity of it all.

This week, while blogsurfing, I realized again just how many lonely people there are out there. I read blogs about people who were hurting, wondering about their self-worth, lost, and simply lonely. I know people can be so active and yet feel this way. I've been there myself.

And, so today I find myself saying, "Yes, Susan, SIMPLIFY!" Go and be and do those things that help you build relationships with people in your world. I confess, though, there's also a voice in my head answering, "OK, but it's not that easy sometimes. IT'S COMPLEX!" And then, as often happens when I'm in "reflection mode" a song will fill my head that rings out the message quite clearly:

Oh God, you are my God and I will ever praise You/Oh God, you are my God and I will ever praise You/I will seek you in the morning/And I will learn to walk in your ways/And step by step You'll lead me/And I will follow you all of my days.

And you know what? THAT'S worth sharing~~even if it's difficult!