Oh, I’ve done it before. I’ve remarked how I wish I had been born long ago. In a simpler time. In a time where things were less complicated.

Yet, each generation has their own problems. Their own issues. Their own complaints.

I am sure long ago, folks used to dream of long ago. Everyone at each point in time surely idealized the past. In each person’s present it probably always felt “complicated.” But it really is just all relative.

I am imagining the times when television boomed and the older generation probably said the same things we do: “This is ruining our future generation.” or “We did just fine without this!”

Or the times when industry boomed, making life so much easier in some ways, but there were always folks yearning for the simpler ways. I am sure there were lots of: “The old ways were better.” “Why are things so complicated?”

For each generation there are steps forward into the future that enhance our living. And there are those of us who still yearn for the past.

But how about embracing the present you are in? Embracing the good of those steps forward? 

What if we looked at it differently? Instead of always yearning for a simpler past or going backwards, what if we learned to live with our present and use it for good? The Internet has greatly expanded our capabilities and changed our lives. Often for the good, but equally with negative effects. It isn’t really about the technology or the new ways of doing things, but how we handle our reactions to those things and how we use them.

People say technology and social media have ruined the next generation. What if instead of complaining and resisting, we taught the next generation to use it properly? (What a great lesson in self-control!) Because the technology isn’t going anywhere, so let’s learn to use it well. We can’t erase it from the present, so why not embrace it for what it is and focus on the benefits. 

Yes, I am a simple girl at heart and I always joke how I want to be Ma on Little House on the Prairie. But the truth is, Ma would have probably loved the conveniences I have these days! And I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have survived true Little House on the Prairie living.

And what if we learned from the past and took the parts that could help us today– the mindset of our ancestors can surely be a thing to learn from. I often think about the attitude of our ancestors and the mindset of living simply. There are so many lessons in history to apply today, yet we must realize the culture then, is not our culture today. So glean what we can, but don’t live there.

And what if we stopped chasing after an ideal in our heads– because none of us were really there to experience the past, and we have made an ideal of just the “good” stuff. Each generation has their own hardships.

Let’s embrace the generation we are in, realizing God set us in this time for a reason, a purpose, and a mission. If God had wanted us born in the past, then that is where we would be. But we are here in the present. Face it. Live it. And ask God how you can make a difference in the here and now. Life is as simple or as complicated as you make it. Allow the tools we have now to be an asset instead of yearning for a different time. Embrace simple, but live BIG.

Live for Him. Live for others. That is something you can do no matter what generation you were born into.

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Jesus is Enough

This summer, I am hosting a women’s retreat in Gettysburg, PA. In a world of excess, we are going to focus on that fact that Jesus is enough. The world will tell you YOU are enough. But truly, HE is enough. He is all we need. We don’t rely on ourselves, or earthly comforts, but on Him alone.  I have lived with it all stripped away, and I have seen that yes, Jesus is enough. In fact, Jesus is MORE than enough.

Early Bird Registration is Open! Join us for this life changing and life-giving event. You will spend two days with other sisters in Christ, tired of what the world offers, and ready to live the life that HE offers.

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