...I can't stop thinking about it...

Sue (my lovely wife) had this thought on her mind, and she just couldn't shake it.  She shared it with me, now I've got it!  So...tag, you're it.....

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At our small group meeting last Friday we were talking about unconditional love (Fireproof the Movie), caring as much (or maybe even more?) for others than we do for ourselves. You’ve heard the drill:  humbling ourselves, sacrificing, being intentional. But hearing and doing are two different things.

Anyway, back to the story that I can’t get out of my head.  One member of our gathering told us about her brother and his small group. A young dad in her brother’s group has lost his job (and health insurance) and learned he’s facing a life threatening illness all within the last couple months. Everyone is feeling the pinch of these tough economic times, but these circumstances have put this young family into a tailspin. Now they’re facing losing their home.  So, the rest of the group has gotten together and decided to pay the monthly mortgage payments for their friends while they go through this challenging time.  Wow, what a great example of following the golden rule.

So why does this act of kindness keep entering my thoughts? Maybe it’s because I think about the groups that I’m involved in and wonder if we would be willing to make such a sacrifice for each other. And if one of us was in that situation, would we accept the help? But I sense the main reason the story caught my attention is that I want to be like that group of caring people. I want to be able to put someone else first and maybe even sacrifice a little in doing so.  I’m sure there is no shortage of people I interact with everyday whose burdens could be lightened by some of my time, talent, or resources. But in the activity and routine of each day do I ever pause to really consider the needs of others? Hearing and doing are not the same. Am I really looking?

I can’t stop thinking about it.

…less is more…

Simplicity.  Less is more.  I am always amazed how the simple solution is often the best.  My old boss, Mr. Kroc, had a plaque in his office that shouted K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple, Stupid) on which he based his business strategy for his little hamburger joint.  Hey, if $23 billion in sales doesn’t impress you, then you only have to watch the movie “Contact” and the reference to Occam’s Razor to feel really confident that it must be true….hey, it’s in a movie! 

Here are a few ways “less is more” seems to win out in my life:

·         Play-Doh – it starts out in those nice, vibrant colors.  Then it happens…(as it did right before my eyes as I did my “shift” at childcare at Good Shepherd)  Someone gets the idea to mix the blue with the yellow…da daaaa, you have green.  Next thing ya know colors are added, and added and then you end up with everything looking brownish, kind of ugly and boring.  In fact, kids stop using it far before it begins to dry-out.  Less is more!

·         Food – the natural flavors are so much better when they are simple.  Doesn’t pepperoni pizza really taste better than the combo.  Sure, the combo might fill you up, but you’re dealing with quantity over quality.  I find myself craving the taste of a good old Quarter Pounder with Cheese…before lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, guacamole, peppers, partridge & pear tree were additional options.  The sloppiness factor itself is enough to make you want to stop the madness.  Less is more!

·         Mission Statements – every good organization has a clear mission statement…Ken (who was my incredibly talented boss at the McDs Innovation Center) drove our team to agree and verbalize our mission “We innovate, design and integrate systems that deliver a Forever Young Experience in all our restaurants”  (I don’t think I’m revealing any major secret, if so…sorry Ken).  It drove everything we did.  In fact, each Director was charged with owning either Innovate, Design or Integrate.  A day didn’t go by when someone would ask if what we were doing was getting us closer to our mission.  It was easy to remember, easy to recall, easy to explain…so it was easy to use as an alignment screen.  Less is more!

·         Jesus did it (I saved the best for last) -  yeah, lately, you might call me a Jesus freak (but hopefully in a good way).  After people messed up the 10 commandments for centuries, Jesus came to make it easier for us flawed humans to understand, to focus, to get it righter.  He boiled it down to two (2).  Love the Lord and love your neighbor.  If these 2 things were done, really done…the world would be in a much better place (this was a topic of discussion at my small group Friday night).  Hey, does this mean Jesus was the first to use the 80 / 20 rule.  .  Less is more!

Hope I will act on this life lesson instead of seemingly being anxious to relearn it over and over.  Maybe writing about it will keep it in the front of my mind.  I need to keep telling myself “Keep it simple, stupid”, “Keep it simple, stupid”…“less is more”.

 

In the words of Albert Einstein "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."