What will stop you from achieving your goal?
Someone may say, “I want a simple life.” Sounds simple enough. Yet deceivingly not.
What is a simple life? Define it. You will realise that if something is worth striving for, it is definitely not simple.
I want a simple life. I want to be stress-free, to have no worries and to live comfortably. I want to have enough money to buy birthday presents for my family, have a nice dinner at a lovely restaurant with my loved ones occasionally, get decent healthcare for myself and my family members, oh… and maybe an annual holiday to a place outside of Southeast Asia.
Simple requests?
But more than financial stability is an innate desire to achieve excellence for oneself.
Anyone who says he merely “wants a simple life” has not considered what he truly wants to achieve in his lifetime. The Holy Spirit can reveal this to you, if you are willing to search for your answer.
Ask a youth, “Why are you studying?” and behind each answer is his desire to achieve something he truly desires.
“I am studying to go to a good school.”
This child’s desire is to be in a top institution because she enjoys intellectual sparring with others like herself – she has a thirst for knowledge and wisdom. And with each intellectual sparring, everyone improves to a higher level of knowledge.
“I want to be a responsible person.”
This child’s desire is to learn responsibility now. He ultimately desires to be the untainted Adam – with the ability to rule over the earth, with observation, discernment and insight, so as to understand the essence of each of God’s creation.
“I am studying to give myself more choices for a future career.”
I want to earn enough money to support my parents and to host parties for my friends in my big house. This child does not see a specific career for herself yet. But she values relationships, and she sees money as the means to form connections between people. She needs to realise that not just money, but other values that she has can and will connect her to others as well.
If children have such desires, adults have them too. Have you buried them?
I hope we realise that none of our lives are ‘simple’ as we each have something that we truly desire which is excellent.