Preface
Simplicity of life is one of those realities we grow into over extended periods of time. Now, twenty-five years after this book was first published, what do I know as regards this life? I know both less and more. I am less certain about how it all works and more clear on the Center that animates all life. When I titled the first chapter of this book “The Complexity of Simplicity,” I understood that reality mostly in theory; I now know it more deeply as lived experience. The intricacies and the difficulties remain in abundance—indeed, even more so—now that I have lived a couple more decades into the conundrums of life. Frankly, the inward query, “What do I know?” is on my lips often these days.
And yet, through it all, the title I gave to the Epilogue, “The Simplicity of Simplicity,” is more real than ever. I see…. I know…. We can live with a steady attention to the voice of the true Shepherd. We can seek first God’s kingdom. We can enter into God’s righteousness. We can walk cheerfully over the earth. We can live simply and profoundly.
PREFACE from the 1981 EDITION
This is not a book that I was automatically drawn to write. I was, in fact, brought all but kicking and screaming to this task. I did in the end write it, but it is perhaps not irrelevant to note the reasons for my hesitancy.
First, there was the matter of my own experience in simplicity, or lack thereof. Did I know enough of the inner reality of simplicity to write with any degree of integrity? How deeply rooted was I in this life of unhurried peace and power? And then there was the matter of lifestyle. Carolynn and I still struggle with decisions about money and possessions. By no stretch of the imagination do we have the final answer on what to buy or what to do without. And what about the corporate nature of simplicity? How could I, with any measure of competence, address the tangled issues of economics and world hunger and international trade? I felt, and do feel, like a beginner in all the varied aspects of simplicity.
Second, I hesitated because I know that Christian simplicity is a terribly complex matter. That is understandable, if paradoxical. Seldom in life is there any issue of significance that will yield to easy answers. Not only must we understand the biblical witness to simplicity and the rich tradition of the devotional masters, but we must interact with the contemporary issues. Further, it is necessary to boil all these matters down into the practical world in which we live—a world of schedules and demands, a world of bills and budgets. And this is no simple task.
Third, I was concerned about the danger of legalism. Simplicity is the most outward of all the Spiritual Disciplines, and hence the most susceptible to corruption. How could I be specific without being rigid? How could I call people from greed without introducing a new pharisaism?
I had a fourth reason that made me cautious about writing a book on simplicity. Of the four, this one was my greatest concern, and the one to which I give attention in Chapter 1.