Many individuals make things far more complicated than they need to be. If I am thinking of anyone specifically as I write, I willingly confess that I am thinking about several responses I have given recently. As I reflected in the quietness of a meal alone on the road, the simplicity of a chef’s dish took me places I should know but often messed up in trying to put them into practice.
Less is often more. There are many problems to be solved and even more ways to solve them. As I begin at the core of the values closest to my best heart, ensuring that these values are tangibly real as a priority, I begin to see challenges, obstacles, and barriers very differently. There can be toppings which enhance responses; however, the heart of my actions remains constant.
The magnitude and complexity of the challenge are no match for compassion, empathy, and truth filled intent. With greater challenges, one has an opportunity to experience the true power found in love-filled responses. Peter’s observation in a different time still rings true. “Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.” (1 Peter 1.7)
Overthinking, in my case better described as thinking that I know better, has never proven superior to the application of the proven principles embodied in the word love. In the consistency of reaching into the toolbox and finding the right words, listening response, and at times action, I experience the joy and wonder of how the simple chef’s disk touched my heart and mind as if it was the first time.
It is hard to describe the warmth and inspiration of a simple dish of pasta brought on a cold day in Cluj-Napoca Romania. Lucky for me, I can close my eyes and relive the experience. I always discover new inspiration for responding to what seemed impossible.
