There once was a time when life was simpler. Mothers lived by instinct and raised their children trusting their God-given abilities and not the latest blog article about motherhood. And what they didn’t know, they asked their grandmas or the kind elderly lady down the street. Folks lingered after supper, sitting on porches sipping tea, exchanging talk, but mostly enjoying relationships.

Things weren’t overanalyzed. Life was hard enough without adding in the pressure of doing things “just right.” Probably most were concerned with just getting things done.

Sure times were tough, but people were focused. Life was different.

At any given moment in the present, you can find hundreds of articles on how to mother, how to be a better homemaker, how to homeschool, how to live…

There are even Pinterest boards to show you how it all should look, just in case reading about it isn’t enough.

There’s methods, systems, printables, ebooks, articles, webinars, and an infinite amount of information all telling us how to do everything.

Yet are we so busy trying to figure out how to do everything, that we are forgetting to live?

Now, I am all for gleaning information and enocuragement from other sources- we are blessed to have so much helpful information at our fingertips…but may it not consume us!

There was a time when summers for children meant freedom. Freedom to play, imagine, create, be with friends..all unstructured. Now, we schedule, overcommit, assign homework, and run around, busy, oh so busy…

Nowadays everyone is telling us what to eat and not to eat. Our grandmothers gardened, exchanged recipes and didn’t fret over the latest fad. They cooked what was available and didn’t have elaborate meal plans.

They didn’t have all the gadgets and gizmos that our society tells you that you need when having a baby. One walk down the baby aisle of the local department store has you wondering how on earth they made it without the latest “must-haves?” They had cloth diapers, a few wooden toys, and a whole lot of love…and they raised those babies just fine.

They didn’t have an elaborate planner system. The jotted down things on a pad and paper at most. Now, not only do we have planners, we have decorations for those planners…and an infinite amount of resources on how to make them pretty.

Life is short. Do I want to spend it reading about how to live or living it?

Do I want to spend time on dressing everything up or enjoying what I have been given?

I want to get back to simple. Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers did just fine without Pinterest boards, meal plans, chore charts, and organizational methods.  They did what they knew, handed down to them from generation to generation.

I want to get back to simple. I want to focus on relationships more than things. People more than stuff.

Recently we began watching shows on HGTV. I love the entertainment of it and we enjoy them immensely. But I saw what happens when our culture focuses on these details. Just a few episodes in, and I started looking around my house at all the things that are wrong (according to the experts on TV).  It stirred up a (momentary) feeling of discontent. Now, this is from someone who LOVES her house. I truly do. I don’t mind that it is basic and not decorated elaborately. I am not into paint colors or the perfect wall hangings. But, I could easily see how distracting it can be when these images tell us how much better we can have it.

Better how? A house that is perfectly decorated, or what I do in that house? Even more, what we do outside of that house. We are intentionally using every bit of our home and property to give back. We want to use it for His glory, and that has nothing to do with how it is decorated.

I want to get back to simple. My own mind can be cluttered enough without adding every new idea that comes along into it.

Back in the day, homes were smaller. People worked hard with what they were given. Folks lingered and knew each other. People took time for each other, in real life. Nowadays socialization takes place behind a screen.

Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers got it right. A simple life lived well. 

Are you with me? Let’s get back to simple. Spend time outside this summer and living life with those you love. Spend time on things that matter. Trust your instincts and trust God. He has already given us all we need to live our lives well–His Word.

Stop chasing after a decorated life and live a meaningful one. Trade elaborate details for simple living. Choose your time wisely.

Life is short. Don’t spend time wasted on the noise of this world. Live life like our grandmothers did. Bring back simple.

JOIN ME for a weekend to focus on living more simply and seeking more Jesus!
Mark your calendar NOW!