So Well Feed You’re About To Burst?

The majority of Westerners certainly know the extent of dietary affluence.

Indeed, we’ve probably known that extravagance of Christmas meals—an embarrassingly rich array of food—numerous times. After gorging ourselves we then wonder why we did it. We went beyond health and into ill-health because of our situational gluttony. And our waistlines attest to these riches beyond favour.

The same occurs with our spiritual diet, and the temptations to ‘gorge on the array’ are terrific indeed.

More is the New Less

Consider how busy we, as a society, already are. Chances are that there are so many things we could drop carte blanche and never have any recourse to regret.

We have to ask, “Is this thing that I’m doing, reading, watching etc., actually assisting the process of my development as a person, or detracting from it?”

More is crowding, and when it’s superfluous to our purpose, it’s infuriating to our spirits, perhaps at levels deeper than we’re conscious of. But the negative spinoffs will manifest themselves in all manner of visible and intangible ways with respect to our lives.

We’re so naturally apt to choose for ‘more’ and this is because we shrink from tough decisions, never grappling with the fact that life becomes easier when tough decisions are made, despite our fears.

More is the new less, but it’s always been less.

Less is the Better More

This opposes the predominant and contemporary Christian flow—and church ministry can be the biggest culprit, as we amaze ourselves with what the Holy Spirit can achieve through us.

There is a cost to frenetic and rampant standards of activity—doing more because we can. We become bad judges of what we should do, doing things on a whim and on mood. Worst of all, leaders who achieve goals in such busyness set the wrong example of spiritual peace, focus and discipline for younger and influential others. Spiritual order and basic disciplines should drive every leader.

Less requires courage. Saying “no” is difficult. Besides, we have these naturally avaricious hearts, bent on gain, ambition and driven to achieve so we can boast.

Let’s boast in doing less—not out of laziness; by no means!

We can achieve boldly and powerfully for God when we’re focused and driven to those things we’re called to do.

Best of all, when we achieve such spiritual balance we’ll not feel perpetually so full of ‘food’ we don’t need. Our affluence will be real and our influence (when it’s required) will have the Spirit’s power about it.

© 2011 S. J. Wickham.

Graphic Credit: Vision: Insights and New Horizons.