September 23, 2022
“The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness. ~ John 10:10 GNT
I had mid-morning coffee with a friend at a local café the other day. It’s one of those places with lots of beautiful decorations for home and gardens. I was so engaged in the conversation that once I sat down, I stopped paying attention to my surroundings.
My friend reached across the table to a display to my left side and grabbed a small hand-painted rectangular sign in earth tones with two words written like this: Live simply. Good advice. Then suddenly, I blurted out “Simply live.” There is a profound difference between the two phrases. To my way of thinking the first implies an action, or series of actions to whittle down to simply. It feels a bit like a product or destination. It’s a good idea, reminding me of one of my go-to recipe books, “More with Less” from the Mennonite Central Committee.
The second, to my way of thinking, is not a product but a process, simply being present to this moment of life. One step after another, being present and aware to the now, Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. I wonder if that might be what Jesus meant in the quote above. Perhaps I am the thief who had stolen precious moments by allowing worries about the future, or regret about the past steal, kill and destroy the one place that is mine, this present moment.
Maybe the phrase “Simply Live” can be my breath prayer while hiking the Camino. Slow breath out – simply; slow breath in – life. ~ Anne
Wayfinding 