Gary Holloway’s latest book, “You Might Be Too Busy If…Spiritual Practices for People in a Hurry” (Leafwood Publishers, 2009), is based on this premise: “…the biggest threat to our relationship with God and the biggest barrier to our quality of life is not immorality or secularism or humanism but simply this: we are too busy.” (8)
Holloway urges us to deal with this barrier by engaging in four practices found in the life of Jesus: solitude, simplicity, Sabbath, and service.
In chapters 6-7 Holloway explores simplicity. He writes, “In prayer, meditation, and resting with God we find that we must (and can) let go of things that burden us. Some of those are literal things that we can do better without. The rest is inward stuff that we must let go.” (53) Chapter 6 deals with the literal things we can do better without–outward simplicity. Chapter 7 deals with the inward stuff we must let go of–inward simplicity.
Regarding outward simplicity, Holloway notes that though “Jesus lived in a material world” he “learned the secret of the simple, restful life.” (55) His outward simplicity was motivated by trust – he trusted in God to provide all that was needed. We demonstrate this same trust when we get rid of some of our stuff. Often it is the burden of our possessions which keeps us from living a better life. We give up stuff to make room for God.
Not only does outward simplicity call us to get rid of some of our stuff. Second, it calls us to not buy more stuff. Holloway calls us to the practice of fasting, through which we free “ourselves from the tyranny of desire.” (60) We can fast from food but we can also fast from shopping, television, the computer, and other possessions which distract us from our walk with God.
But the outward simplicity of getting rid of stuff and not buying stuff must also be accompanied by inward simplicity. Many of us face the problem of an emotional and spiritual life that is as cluttered as our garage or home. “That inward clutter of an unfocused, unsettled emotional life does more damage than good.” (65) Holloway urges us to practice saying “no,” and to practice disciplines of gratitude and joy as a way of focusing our hearts and dealing with our emotional and spiritual clutter.
[to be continued…]
