Simple living is often presented as a cozy aesthetic or a back-to-the-land approach in some quiet rural area. In each of those situations, people can look at your choices and understand the reasoning behind them. They may not have any interest in making the same choice, but the reasoning behind them is clear to most. You want a prettier home or you want to live a rural life.

But the simple living we discuss here is something different. I live a simple life on a cul-de-sac in a Midwestern small town. Maybe you live a simple life in a busy metro area suburb. Someone else lives a simple life in a city apartment.

The simple life we live is one of aligning our daily choices with our true life priorities. This simple life involves accepting our limits, going against the expectations of others, and refusing to bend to cultural pressure.

Recognizing we have limits is often one of the first catalysts in moving to a simpler life. For the first time, we realize as women that we can’t have it all at once. Our priorities shift. Perhaps our health or the needs of one of our children require us to recognize our limits. Whatever it is, accepting our limitations requires a level of courage.

When we accept that we have limitations, it often leads to bumping up against the expectations of others in our family or community. Where people once expected a brilliant career in your future, they now see you “settling” for a small life. You don’t see it as settling. You see it as embracing a simple life that will lead to great joy. But going against the expectations of others requires courage, especially when you see the disappointment or bewilderment flit across their faces.

In the big picture, simple living is not as unusual as it was when I started writing about it 20 years ago. It has changed and evolved in recent years. The availability of the internet almost everywhere has certainly made simple living possible in ways that didn’t exist even 10 or 15 years ago. But it still goes against cultural norms. You still have to choose not to bend to cultural expectations.

As I’ve been going through my posts during this website reorganization, I’ve found piece after piece about making your own choices. This is especially true in my parenting, gifted/2e, and Christian faith posts. Over and over again, I’ve encouraged you to do what God leads you to do. To do what you know in your gut is right even when others around you don’t understand or approve. To make the choice that seems difficult in the moment but you know will lead to a deeper walk with Jesus Christ.

Choosing a quiet simple life takes courage. It means being willing to make choices that may not make sense to everyone around you. It means trusting that Jesus can lead you faithfully, even when His leading does not fit neatly inside the expectations of your family, your community, or even your church culture.

It takes courage to choose simplicity with Christ over the allure of the world’s priorities.

Never stop being courageous.