Less Is More

 

 

Tears sting my eyes and threaten to spill down my cheeks as I sit on a rock in the middle of the creek, watching my oldest son scrubbing his jeans on a rock.  He is just 2 days short of 17 years old.  My! how he has grown and matured!  It was only 10 short months ago when wash day in America brought grumbles and groans.  But then, washing merely consisted of placing the clothes in a washing machine and pressing a button!  The same was true of the drier!  We had it all then!  –or did we?  Now those days are forgotten.  In a creek far out in the mountains of Thailand, we wash our clothes daily with a cheap cake of soap, a scrub brush and a rock.  Bradley whistles while he works.  A strong arm brings the deep dirt out of the knees and hems of his jeans quickly.  The flow of the stream rinses the soap suds just as fast. 

Four small Karen children have been watching him and playing in the leaves at the water’s edge.  As Bradley lifts the bucket of well rung out clothes and climbs up the rocky pathway, they scramble after him. Smiling in delight, they clutch his shirt tightly and fall in step close beside and behind him. The clothes are hung over a crude bamboo railing and left to dry. 

Yes, we have less now than ever before in our lives, in fact Bradley made the statement just the other day, not out of regret, just a statement that he never remembers being low on food before.  He never just existed on yellow beans and rice with a few tomatoes.  Our rooms are empty except for a mat to sleep on and a box or 2 of belongings.  We cook on an open fire outside.

Yes,  less is more!  More family unity.  More time together.  More need for God. More depth and meaning to life, with more longing for a future home with Jesus who is drawing us with cords of more love to Him!

Thank you so much Lord for less!

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