Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. For 47 days, the Church around the world will prepare for the commemoration of Jesus’s suffering, death, and triumphant resurrection. Historically, the Church prepares by communal fasting and individual sacrifices for 40 of the 47 days. (The seven days not included are the Sabbaths during Lent.)

What Is Lent?

Lent is a time of refining. It’s a chosen wilderness season. Throughout Scripture, we see God use the wilderness as a place of preparation. When His people are in the wilderness, He provides testing opportunities to help them depend on Him and trust Him to provide. Then they will be able to do what Adam and Eve could not– thrive with God in the Garden. The wilderness is a place to burn off the dross so we are prepared to enter the Garden Land. Sometimes the wilderness is a consequence, like Israel wandering in the desert for 40 years in preparation for the Promised Land. But we can also choose, like Jesus, to enter the wilderness season. He walked himself out to the wilderness for 40 days to be prepared for His ministry of bringing the Garden Land to earth. 

Luke 4:1-15

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” 

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” 

The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 

Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.”

During Lent, we embrace this path of Christ. By choosing a wilderness preparation of 40 days, we are made ready for greater flourishing with God in the Easter season. In the liturgical Church calendar, Lent and Advent are symbolized by purple. These preparatory purple seasons are characterized by repentance because it’s in laying bare our souls – the good, bad, and ugly – that we are able to receive mercy and become an effective conduit of God’s love to the world. We have been forgiven so we forgive. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).  By repenting– confessing and turning from our sin– we prepare for the celebrations of Easter and Christmas. 

So if repentance is confession and turning away, then we have to both identify the things that ensnare us, as well as figure out how to rid ourselves of them. One practice from the life of Jesus that helps expose idols and extricate ourselves from their grasp is simplicity.

What Is Simplicity?

 Simplicity is a discipline of reflection, prioritization, and subtraction. We reflect on what we need and what we have. We prioritize the things that really matter. And we trim the excess from our life. 

All spiritual disciplines are a means to an end. The end goal is to see God and ourselves more clearly, that we would love Him more fully and follow Him more effectively. By practicing spiritual disciplines, such as simplicity, fasting, or meditating on Scripture, we partner with the Holy Spirit in His work of making us more like Jesus. 

Materialism and busyness cloud our vision so it’s hard to see reality. Simplicity clears the air. 

A life of simplicity results in greater contentment, more devoted attention to the present, and an abundance mindset that overflows in stronger faith and eager generosity. However, simplicity also brings up a lot of unexpected resistance and touches on some hidden raw spots as we try to disentangle our sense of worth and security from our lifestyle. Working through our hidden emotions helps reveal anchors we didn’t realize were holding us back from God. We often do such a good job protecting our most sensitive wounds that we are completely unaware they are not-yet-sanctified parts of us easily manipulated by the devil. Because while the Spirit led Jesus out to the wilderness to be tested, the devil made quick work of co-opting it to try to tempt Jesus into sin. The same is true in our wilderness. 

How Does One Practice Simplicity?

Simplicity is embracing what is necessary and paring back what is extraneous. It’s asking the question “how much do I really need?” and learning a heart of contentment. Achieving a simplified life, as though there is some sort of finish line, is not the goal. Rather, the objective is experiencing life with Jesus more purely, without the haze of materialism and discontentment distorting your view. By clarifying our real values, we identify what matters and can move toward a life that testifies to that. Once clarified, we practice subtraction which forms us internally, breeding gratitude and rousing our love of God. We also cultivate awareness which kindles our compassion and provokes our response to the needs we see.

Simplicity can be applied to any area of life. The obvious category is simplifying our stuff. But we can simplify our schedules, our meals, our speech, our budget. Any area of life can get distractingly full, so any area can be clarified so we are living out our professed values.

Here is a distillation of simplicity in 3 steps: 

REFLECT on what you need and what you have

At its most bare bones, what is essential?
Consider God’s intent and purpose for this area of life
How can this area be twisted by Satan to keep you distracted, discontent, or overwhelmed?

PRIORITIZE what is most important

How would this area of life cause you to love and worship God more?
How can you bring the Kingdom of God through this area?
If Jesus were living your life, how would he live out this aspect faithfully?

SUBTRACT what is extraneous

What are a few simple, starter steps you can take?
What are a few reach goals for the future?

Applying Simplicity

Throughout Lent, we will walk through different areas of life to implement the discipline of simplicity. We will expand on the 3 steps of simplicity as applied to each category of life. And hopefully, by employing simplicity, you will be able to practice repentance in some previously unexamined areas of your life. This will prepare you well for Easter and beyond as we long to thrive with God in the Garden Land.