Simplicity

A friend and I have been reading the fascinating biography of Moses lately and it is quite amazing.  We are at the end of his life, as he is handing the mantle to Joshua.  Joshua has been Moses’ right-hand man for decades, so it wasn’t completely unexpected, but let’s face it – it’s a huge job to take over the leadership of more than a million people in the middle of a desert.

What I found amazing was the simplicity of the instructions God gave to Joshua as he was getting ready to cross the Jordan River along with the Israelis.

            Don’t ’be afraid

            Trust Me

            Be strong and courageous

            Listen and obey

            Meditate on My words

            I’ll be with you

There were many unknowns for Joshua, just like there are many unknowns in our futures, yet these are the most important instructions God gave him.  It got me wondering if they would be the best instructions for us as we live in a world thousands of years later, also full of uncertainty.

They are simple and concise, easy to remember, but it may be a bit more difficult when distractions come into focus.  One of my friends has the simplest of all instructions when crushing anxiety shows up:

Trust God and breathe.

There is much in our world to become stressed about, but one thing is sure – worrying about it won’t change a thing.  We certainly can complain, grumble and be troubled about many details of life, but what will change? Absolutely nothing.

My all-time favorite quote is from Mr Rogers:

Life is deep and simple,

But our society has made it shallow and complicated.

Have you ever heard the acronym ROI?  Yeah, me neither, but I recently learned it means: Return on your investments.  If you invest minutes and hours worrying about everything in your life, you will certainly receive a return on that – mainly continued anxiety, panic attacks and perhaps ulcers.  

But if you invest minutes, hours and days meditating on the goodness of God and His direction to:

Be strong and courageous

Not be afraid

Meditate on My love for you….

Remember, remember, remember that God is for you and will take care of you,

…then the (ROI) return on your investment will be peace and joy, all which comes from Holy Spirit. 

I’d much rather have peace than anxiety, how about you?

Jesus, I give everyone and everything to You