Keep It Simple

“Thus says the Lord… Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless, clothe the naked, and do not turn your back on your own.” –Isaiah 58:7

Happy February! Do the holidays we celebrated just weeks ago feel far away? How are you doing with your New Year’s resolution? Are you trying to cultivate a virtue, as I suggested in my January 4 reflection? The experts advise us to pick just one goal, or one virtue, to work on, and keep it simple. 

My late dear mother-in-law used to say, “Life is simple. We make it complicated.” So true! Watching TV used to be simple. We sat together in the living room to watch a program on one of three channels available. Now, thanks to the internet, we have thousands of programs to choose from, on many different devices. We might want to examine whether we’re still using technology to bring people together, or if it’s gotten complicated and we’re using it to avoid interacting with others. 

Our spiritual life can be simple, too. God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to remind us that He doesn’t want us to make grandiose sacrifices like fasting if we treat our neighbors poorly. He asks us to simply act with love:

 share what we have with those in need, and take care of those entrusted to us. 

As counterintuitive as it may seem, this kind of sacrifice for others will bring us joy. God created us this way. It might not be easy, but it is simple.

Also, those ‘others’ aren’t as different from us as we might imagine. Think of the times when you’ve been on the receiving end of someone’s generosity. Maybe a teacher or coach gave you attention and made you feel important when your parents wouldn’t or couldn’t. Maybe you were just starting out and a coworker invited you to join her family for dinner. You probably didn’t think of that as a hand-out! In those cases and countless others, someone had to give away something they had so that you could benefit. We can do the same.

What does the last part of this verse mean, ‘do not turn your back on your own’? Mother Teresa has an answer: “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” Maybe we can work patiently with the child who needs extra help with her homework. We could sit down over burgers and fries with the teen who’s looking for attention and acceptance, and listen to what he has to say. We could offer insight to the young adult who asks how she can contribute to society, and encourage the adults burdened with their own jobs and families.

Giving to others might not be easy, but it is simple. Let’s try to keep it that way.

“Lord, help me remember that giving doesn’t have to be complicated.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

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p.s.

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