This is a meditation on chapter 4 from our Way of Life.

Live a Simple Life

Not many of us are called to a genuine life of poverty. We live in cities. We have jobs, families, and a whole life already in process. So how do we hold in tension all that swirls around us, pulling us in all directions, often further into discontentment, alongside living a simple life as we see in the person of Jesus? It’s a question I engage with regularly.

When I walk the streets of my city, there are things. Everywhere. Shops drawing me in. New seasons, new clothes. New trends, new dinner ingredients. Better upgrades, more features, bigger things. It can all be a lot sometimes. If I’m being honest with you, I am personally drawn to new wardrobe items and new art supplies. Those are my weak spots. I can almost always justify a “need” for one of those things, no matter the season. 

And then I am reminded of the practices of contentment and gratitude. Gratitude comes fairly easy to me. I am genuinely grateful for what I have in this life, even down to the dwindling drawing pencil that I love, that I got years ago at an art store. Contentment is another matter. I find myself struggling with embracing contentment and simplicity quite often. I’m drawn to new things. I’m guessing most of us are, given the right context. Contentment is something I regularly work on. I remind myself it is a practice and doesn’t come automatically, and there is grace in that. Time and consistency in this practice will allow contentment to grow, become easier, and become more of a natural response.

I return again to my first sentence: Not many of us are called to a life of poverty. Though wouldn’t it just be easier in some ways? I would have fewer decisions to make, because the decision to live a certain way has already been made. In part, simplicity and poverty are similar to the practice of fasting. To go without so that I have more capacity and energy to give to God. It answers the question of ‘what’s next’ before the question is even asked. In the midst of the excess of the city, I’m doing my best to choose simplicity, contentment, and gratitude. But that’s often where it’s the most challenging, so it will be an ongoing practice I need to come back to.

This monastic life doesn’t ask perfection from me, but it does ask for a continual pursuit of a transformed life. I’m thankful there is grace in the process, and community to learn alongside. 

Photo Credit
Jordan Prins on 1 May 2023 in New York City.