Honoring a resolution
to simplify my life

Speaking of Religion
The Rev. Dr. Tim Griffin

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3.1)

Last week, I wrote about resolutions for the New Year. In particular, I suggested that the part of us that desires change is perhaps the part of us that needs to change. My point was not that we should not strive to be better people but rather that part of being a better person may involve becoming a better — a kinder and gentler — person to ourselves.
Of course, I know that this is not an easy thing to do. In fact, making a resolution to be kinder to one’s self may be more difficult than the more familiar resolutions to stop overeating, etc. At least, I have found this to be the case. And yet I think it is essential for us to learn to care for ourselves — to make peace with ourselves.
To this end, my wife and I jointly resolved this year to simplify our individual and collective lives. We decided that we had allowed too much clutter in our lives. We had taken on too many obligations and engaged ourselves in too many activities.
For me, this is an all-too-common problem for a couple of reasons: first because I think if something is good to do I should do it, which often leads me to become overextended, and second because in my desire to please others I sometimes say "yes" when I should say "no."
As you might well imagine, the tendencies can cause problems for me. I become frustrated with myself because when I am overextended, I do not do anything as well as I should, particularly given my standards. Also, I become resentful about doing even things that I enjoy doing. Perhaps these problems sound familiar to you.
A related and more important difficulty for me is that by trying to do too much, I am drawn away from who I was created to be. That is to say, I lose myself in the midst of my business.
Recently I suggested that we need to turn down the volume of our lives so that we can hear God calling to us. In resolving to simplify our lives, my wife and I decided to do just that.
So I believe our resolution to simplify is a good resolution. And it is in keeping with the sound advice of Qoheleth, "the teacher," as the author of Ecclesiastes identifies himself. In the most famous passage from that work, he tells us that there is a season and a time for everything, and the implication is that true wisdom involves discerning and acting at the right time.
That is not easy to do even in the best of circumstances, but I think it is essential if we are to be who God created us to be rather than being who we — or the advertising industry or our friends or our critics — wish us to be.
This leads me to the difficult part of this piece, but it is time. As I was reflecting on simplifying my life a few weeks ago, I e-mailed the editor at the Northeast Times to let him know that I was thinking about giving up the column. He very graciously said he would honor my decision and asked only that I address my decision, once made, in the column.
At the time I wrote him. I was still undecided. I have enjoyed writing the column, and I have enjoyed the correspondence I have received from some of you — positive and negative. It has been a good experience.
I am grateful to the Northeast Times for giving me a chance to write a piece each week. I am grateful to you who have read it, and I am grateful to those who have taken the time to contact me.
I know that some have disagreed with me, and that is as it should be this side of heaven. When we stop disagreeing with one another, it means we have stopped thinking or caring.
So this is one more step on the road to simplifying my life. I am sure that I will miss writing this piece, and I will certainly miss hearing from you.
I wish you all a peaceful and blessed — and simpler — year. God bless! ••
Father Tim Griffin is priest-in-charge at the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, at 1946 Welsh Road in Bustleton.