Written by: Wes Shattuck
Jesus said we are to take His yoke upon us: “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Taking His yoke meant learning all the rabbi had to teach and then becoming like the rabbi, who invited someone to be His follower, taking on the mantle of the rabbi. Jesus lived simply, without even a bed to call his own: “foxes have dens, …but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” He modeled abandoned reliance on the Heavenly Father for every need and assured us that, when trusting in God, God provides and “more so” (Matthew 6:26-34). And Jesus taught us that it is good, and in fact is His divine order, for us to live in community not in isolation. He designed the family, and the church—a family of families living and working together, putting others ahead of self and working for a greater good.
This FCBA is surely a lesson in living simply and trusting God. We get in touch daily with what our simple, basic needs are: shelter at day’s end, food and water for energy, safety, and the simple gifts of living in community. Those gifts involve daily helping and relying on each other. A line in the old song Simple Gifts says “…when true simplicity is gained to bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed…”. In the world today living simply means releasing, letting go, loosing comfort and things. But on this ride, I am getting a much better understanding of what living simply is, and of the gains to be had from living in community. It is humbling, challenging, joyful, and purposeful. It is good to rely on and trust in God.
