The Lebanese restaurant was highly rated. When we arrived, we were surprised to find that it lacked internal seating. If one wanted to eat in, eating outside was the only option. As we sat with attentive staff and the echo of the expressway behind us, the menu was an example of simplicity. The flatbread visually echoed a pizza. The simple, fresh ingredients of labneh, olive, cucumbers, tomatoes, and mint took it to a very different place.
Life’s greatest truths are simple. I am loved. I am accepted. I belong. All these are truths offered to me by Divinity and confirmed as mine with my acceptance. I know I struggle to believe that the gifts are mine for the taking. I am aware that there is nothing I have done or could do to deserve any one of them, much less the package. Add to each the word unconditional, and the offer and magnitude of what is true is staggering. My greatest challenge in life is accepting what is freely offered to me and you.
Simplicity is neither good nor bad. Some of life’s greatest gifts – the love of a child, an embrace of love, and the gift of forgiveness – are easy to understand. Each is profound in the way it touches our heart and soul, impacts one’s life, and potentially changes everything. Equally, “The giggles of fools are like the crackling of twigs under the cooking pot. And like smoke.” (Ecclesiastes 7.6). Simple, easy to understand, and forgettable.
Simple elements can be powerful when combined with intent and purpose. It is easy to forget how vital caring can be, especially when one is struggling to hold onto hope. One may forget that being prepared to face the day means embracing the priority of caring to make a difference. As simple as it is, I may be the only one able to take the required action or offer the necessary word.
The meal’s simplicity is with me. As today begins, I accept Divinity’s gift and hear my call to care and to make a difference.
