By Briana Bass, Christian Romance Author, Devotional Writer & Certified Professional Coach

Do you ever look at your to-do list and feel overwhelmed? I know I do. It sometimes feels like a never-ending checklist of tasks with no breaks. Not to say that I don’t enjoy most of those tasks but sometimes I just want to sit down and rest.

Pay the bills, cook dinner, clean the house, wash the laundry, visit your friend’s new baby, plan a bridal shower, attend choir practice, study your Bible. And that’s just Tuesday, after you’ve worked your nine-to-five.

It can feel like life passes us by while we’re trying to survive. What if I told you there’s a way to be fully present in the moment while still being fully active in your life?

Stop and Smell the Roses

The words “simple living” mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For some, simple living is a synonym for minimalism. Those individuals reduce the material goods they own. For others, simple living means living off the land and relying on the fruits of your labors instead of participating in capitalism.

For me, simple living is about slowing down. It’s hard in our modern society. We want to keep up with the Joneses. We feel the pressure to constantly post selfies and updates. We have real FOMO.

But are we really living if we see life only through a phone screen? Are we really living if our minds are not on the present but focused on the next activity and the next and the next?

Consider these words from Matthew 6:25: “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” (KJV)

There’s more to life than running ourselves into the ground. I can think of dozens of times where I’ve planned an event, looked forward to it for weeks, and then failed to enjoy it because when the time came, I was too exhausted to enjoy it.

You can probably share dozens of your own examples. I get it. We are in the same boat, my friend. So how do we steer towards a different approach to life?

Less is More

I’m not going to sugarcoat it- simple living requires sacrifices. Before you throw up your hands in dismay and stop reading, let me explain.

You don’t have to do everything. You have permission to say no. Yes, there will always be tasks that need completed. We need to eat and pay our rent, which for most of us will require that we work some sort of job that yields a paycheck. But outside of those priorities, what else are we doing that takes up our time and energy?

Are you volunteering for every committee? Before you commit yourself, check if there are other people with gifts better suited to the role. Just because there is an opening doesn’t mean you have to be the one to fill it.

Are you a bridesmaid in a friend’s wedding? While that’s a wonderful honor, you are likely not the only bridal attendant. You are also not a prop or servant to the bride. You don’t have to plan the bachelorette party all on your own, or use your precious PTO to attend her dress fittings.

I know it sounds controversial, believe me, but learning to step back and say no is truly freeing. It frees up your time to marvel at God’s creation, to honor the Sabbath, to strengthen your relationship with the Lord.

Proverbs 15:16 tells us, “Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith” (KJV).

I’m okay with doing less if it means more time spent with Jesus. How about you?

Tomorrow Isn’t Promised

Simple living doesn’t necessarily require you to sell your worldly possessions or work on a farm. It does ask that you take the time to prioritize what’s important to you and allow the unimportant pieces to float away.

Time is our most valuable and most limited resource. We can know how much cash we have in the bank but we will never know how much time we have in this life until it’s too late. Live in the moment, my friends. Simply live.