Today and every Friday for a few weeks we’re exploring themes from the chapters in our upcoming book, American Awakening: Eight Principles to Restore the Soul of America. The theme this week is “doing more with less.”
We all know the overwhelming number of choices put before us each day. Thousands upon thousands of “posts” to possibly click on as you scroll social media. Hundreds of new movies. Dozens of boxes of cereal – an entire aisle in many stores now. But social science has done a lot of work on the impact this has on us and as John notes in the book, the conclusion is pretty clear:
“While more options might seem more optimal and liberating, it appears we are more satisfied with fewer choices.”
There’s something very freeing about limits. Something very peaceful about constraints. Something very healthy about simplicity.
Spiritually, perhaps one of the best things we can do to bring about the good stuff that limits produce is to voluntarily impose those limits on ourselves. This means taking a sabbath rest each week – away from media and endless choices – and near to love, family, nature, beauty. I don’t think it’s by accident that rest coincides with renewal. God knew. He desires our flourishing, not our needless constriction.
So this weekend, rest. Fully. And find the beauty of “less is more.”
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Joel
Joel Searby
In an age when principles and virtues are shrouded by assumptions and distractions, John Kingston rises above the fray and offers a vision for awakening that honors the good of our past while offering hope to the weary in the present. I’ve listened, watched, and admired long enough to say with confidence that this man has a fervent pulse on the heartbeat of America – he too has won, lost, and arose even stronger. Read his story and pay attention to your heart pounding within.
— Stephen A. Macchia is founder and president of Leadership Transformations, and author of more than a dozen books on spiritual transformation.
