The Campfire Is CallingSample

A Simple, Secure, Surrendered Life

I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances.

PHILIPPIANS 4:12 THE MESSAGE

A simple life is not something we arrive at one day by coincidence. It’s the result of a choice or a change of circumstance. There are things that happen in our lives that move us in the direction of living lighter and being content with less. Moving into a new home brings an opportunity to purge things we haven’t seen, or used, for years. Loss of a job leads us to a place of learning to live without things we’d grown used to having.

What our ever-changing circumstances teach us, if we’re willing to lean into God’s care, is that contentment is a gift. And a simple life is far more satisfying than we expect. God’s ways are never complicated, and our lives are least complicated when we trust Him to know what we need and give what we need. It’s as simple as that. The path of our spiritual growth is clear to God. We can’t see what He has planned for us, so we can’t know exactly what it’s going to take to prepare us for it. God is most interested in drawing us closer to Him and least interested in our remaining spiritually stagnant. Growth can be hard and painful. But it’s the key to a simple, secure, and surrendered life of trust in our unfailing Father.

The path can feel incredibly long at times. In a world where we’re used to getting a lot of things on a fast track, our patience is out of shape for lack of exercise. But time teaches. God’s wisdom prevails. He wastes nothing—not a single minute—of the journey He knows will lead us to the place of our highest purpose. It’s going to be good. It’s going to be a gift. It’s going to give us a contentment deeper than we imagined was possible.

Dear God, Your timing is not mine, but I trust the steps of my journey to You. When I get impatient or discouraged, give me peace and renew my hope. I know Your love will always do what’s best for me.