The Power Of Simplicity … Hello my weekend readers. I’ve been musing quite a bit lately about simplicity. The main reason is our job with the U.S. Army Corp. They are great, but trying to make a contract with SAM to bid for the job is a complicated mess! Finally, on May 23, our new camp-host got the green light. It’s no wonder Federal campgrounds/parks, etc., can’t find hosts! Yes, this is a paying job but we are bunched in the quagmire of million-dollar bids—crazy! Each year they say we are working to make it much simpler, but so far nothing has changed. Today I read my online Smithsonian and I just had to use this for my “simple devotion.”

The famed Michelin Guide helps diners discover the best restaurants in the world by awarding them coveted Michelin stars. Most are high-end, fancy, and expensive. This year, however, the guide has recognized a 100-square-foot taco stand in Mexico with just four items on the menu and—nowhere for diners to sit while enjoying their food! It’s called the Taqueria El Califia de León. Situated in Mexico City’s San Rafael neighborhood, it’s the first Mexican taco stand ever to receive a Michelin star and the smallest.

This place has been operating since 1968, and it’s helmed by chef Arturo Rivera Martínez, who stands next to a blazing hot, 680-degree grill all day, churning out tacos for crowds of hungry customers. “The secret is the simplicity of our taco,” Rivera Martínez says “My taqueria may be bare bones with just enough room for a handful or folks to stand at the counter, but our creation—the Gaonera taco—is exceptional and so good that people are standing, elbow to elbow to eat them! We keep it simple-simple is what makes life beautiful.”

Is your mouth watering for that simple but delicious taco—mine sure is! This story has a punch to it, though, and that is ‘simplicity’. From technology to buying a home, getting a job, even getting a reservation at a campground, it is not simple anymore! When folks come to our campground with a flip-phone I relish their simplicity! Check out the quotes below:

“Everything should be made as simple as possible” – Albert Einstein
“Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy.” – Isaac Newton
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci
“Simplicity is the key to brilliance” – Bruce Lee
“Simplicity is the soul of excellence” – Austin Freeman
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated” – Confucius
“Live simply, as if you were to die tomorrow” – Mahatma Gandhi

Those are only a few quotes of many, but you get the idea. Simplicity is a gift and we can look to Jesus who had a handle on the simple life. Think about the time you accepted Jesus in your life. Did He make that difficult or complicated? No, not one bit. Jesus bids us to simply come just as we are. We certainly can be complicated people, but Jesus says give that stuff to me and I will give you the joys of simplicity. Our problem is embracing that wonderful simplicity instead of living in the myriad of complications in today’s society.

In Ecclesiastes, wise Old Solomon said: “One handful of peace and quiet is better than two handfuls of hard work and of trying to catch the wind… Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.” [4:6, 6:9]

Solomon understood simplicity amidst a life of sheer luxury. In the end, he realized all that was not the good stuff of life, it really was meaningless!

In closing I think we should just sit back, get a delicious taco and be content, right? It is the simple things of life that give us true pleasure. It is the complicated things in life that steal our joy. We have a choice, for me, I choose Solomon—he had it right. Now, I’m going to get that taco! AMEN.