Simple hearts in a complex world

By Brian Morykon, Director of Communications at Renovaré

Somewhere along the line, Christmas got complicated.

Maybe it doesn’t have to be.

Just saying that feels idealistic—I’ve got three kids and a mortgage—but dream with me for a minute.

Some complexity is an unavoidable consequence of living in the modern age. The rest of it is driven by expectations, appearances, fear of letting people down, and trying to control outcomes. This kind of complexity—really, duplicity—is optional.

The alternative is simplicity.

Simplicity in physical stuff, yes. But someone can be a minimalist and still have a heart that hoards anger and control. What I’m talking about is true Christian simplicity—“an inward reality that results in an outward lifestyle.”

No one models this kind of simplicity better than Mary.

An angel gives her unbelievable news. She believes it. An innkeeper gives her a stable in which to labor. She receives it.

Every once in a while you meet a person without guile, someone who doesn’t deploy subtle strategies and defenses to manage people and guard against disappointment and rejection. No doubt that Mary was one of them. I can imagine meeting her and being undone by her lack of pretense and purity of heart.

So, Lord, make us that kind of person.

Give us simple hearts in a complex world. Help us celebrate Advent and Christmas—so far as it is up to us—in such a way that the season becomes known to us by simplicity and slowness rather than shopping and speed. In this age, it seems impossible, Lord. But Mary said nothing is impossible for you. And she should know. So come, Jesus, we’re expecting you to show up. Set your people free. Release us from fears and sins, from busyness and bustle. Let us find our rest in you.