To Live Simply Means to Love Simply

Being perfect as Jesus commands is about doing the opposite of what the world tells us to do—to have things that are less than perfect, to love the neighbor who does not love us, to leave everything behind to follow Jesus

Jesus is known for giving tall orders. Love your enemies. Turn the other cheek. Take up your cross. But perhaps the most startling command that comes from Christ’s lips is, “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Every time I read this passage, I give a slow-blink over the words as I ponder how the Lord is asking me to be perfect as the Father is perfect. As I think about what it means to live simply during this Lenten season of fasting, sacrifice, and almsgiving, I do so knowing that many of us may be bogged down by the weight of perfection that society demands we carry. Luckily for us, we need only listen to the Lord’s command to be perfect, which is steeped in love, understanding, and patience. Aiming at perfection seems like the opposite of living simply, yet that is the order Jesus gives us. There must be a reason why Jesus, who knows how imperfect we are, would command us to aim at a bullseye like the perfection of God.

As with most things in Scripture, it’s important to examine the context in which these words are spoken. Jesus instructs his disciples to be perfect only after explaining to them exactly how they are to do so. This verse comes from Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus teaches about praying for your enemies, settling disputes by fostering reconciliation, and ridding yourself of anything that could cause you to sin. Only after telling you how to love your brothers and sisters does he tell you to be perfect because that’s what it means to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect—loving others to the best of your ability by offering the same mercy, compassion, and charity that God offers to each one of us in his Son. In this context, being perfect does not mean being the best, but it certainly does not mean being average either. No, being perfect in this context is the key to living simply, and I believe living simply means being good.

We might be tempted to believe that our lives would be perfect if we had the perfect car, the perfect clothes, the perfect spouse, but the truth is that none of those things fills the God-shaped hole in our hearts. God, who is the source of all that is good, gives good and perfect gifts (James 1:17) to his children, so why should we fear that living simply will leave us lacking or dissatisfied? By living simply, we remind ourselves of another verse from the Sermon on the Mount – “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:11). God will provide for all that we need if we only surrender ourselves to him as little children.

When I was 17, I struggled with scrupulosity – the paralyzing fear of sin that comes not from piousness but from a distorted view of God and sin. I thought everything I did was sinful. It was torture. That was the first time I realized just how dangerous it was to aim at perfection by human standards. I was not living simply. I wasn’t living at all. I felt like God was dangling me over the fire waiting for me to mess up, so he could drop me into the flames. My life during this time was anything but simple. I overcomplicated, overthought, and overcorrected, hoping that I could reach the heights of perfection that I believed were necessary to attain holiness. I think this pattern can occur in all pursuits of perfection, whether that be in regard to family, academics, careers, or spirituality. We’re all struggling so hard against our true calling from the Lord to live simply and to be who he created us to be—children made in his image and likeness.

After a few years of living under these chains, I went to the annual Solemn Novena to St. Ann at St. Ann Basilica in Scranton and received a blessing with her relic. I believe my scrupulosity began lessening after this encounter, and I have come to learn what living simply means for me. Now, I talk to God like I would talk to my best friend, and my fear of him has transformed into love. I no longer recognize the girl I was at 17, though I think of her often and long to tell her she won’t feel like this forever. After years of feeling this way, I have finally fallen in love with the Lord and know nothing but his goodness and mercy.

So, perhaps to live simply means to love simply. When we overcomplicate our relationship with God and others, things start to go awry, and when Jesus tells us to be perfect, I don’t believe he’s talking about being perfect in the sense that we might think of perfection. Being perfect as Jesus commands is about doing the opposite of what the world tells us to do – to have things that are less than perfect, to love the neighbor who does not love us, to leave everything behind to follow Jesus. Sounds like a pretty perfect life to me.

I believe a line from my favorite book speaks to forsaking worldly perfection for heavenly perfection. In John Steinbeck’s novel, East of Eden, the beloved character named Lee says, “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” Since God is the source of all that is good, we know that when Jesus tells us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, he’s just asking us to be good, to live simply, to love limitlessly. Our perfection doesn’t hinge on a life free of mistakes—no, our perfection is rooted in reflecting the goodness of God in the world. Sounds like another tall order. However, I think it’s one of the simplest things we can do. Living simply is the antidote to this rampant and destructive perfectionism. If you can’t shake the negative connotation of perfect, you can think of it as good. Then you can step into Easter with a little of John Steinbeck’s wisdom under your belt knowing that “Now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”