Happy Easter! He is risen!

Simplicity is not easily reached. As easily as I have talked about it and perhaps even beaten at it already in just a few days, simplicity is not easily reached. There is much that distracts us and destroys the simplicity that we seek.

Destruction and Distraction from Simplicity

We are that soil that the Parable of the Sower describes in Matthew 13:18-23. The simplicity of God first can easily be snatched away (verse 19) by distraction or trampling underfoot on the path. When others make their demands on our time and our schedules are defined by other necessities, our priority of ‘God first’ can be easily trampled.

It can be taken superficially (verse 21), with a desire to continue pleasing others or succeeding in the worldly way. It is not easy to stand as the only one who is without fear in the midst of a quarantined city where people let fear drive their choices. Or when we are the only one who says to their children that the gymnastics meet on Sunday morning will have to be missed. Every Sunday.

It can be choked by the weeds of the world (verse 22), worries and wealth that strangle the life of the seed. Our nourishment is stolen by the weeds, the negativity. Sometimes it is the little things like the door that the person in front of you didn’t hold when your hands were full. Or the forgotten milk at the store that honey was supposed to pick up. Sometimes it is the bigger things, like the bills that come due when we are laid off. Or a parent in the hospital unexpectedly.

Simply Jesus

All these things can throw us off our game. But re-focusing on God puts it all in perspective and makes us the good soil of verse 23. That focus helps us trust in him when we are distracted, trampled, superficial, fearful, worried, negative. He is here and he is the focus and the solution. Simply Jesus.