Reminder: For the month of March, I am forming a bouquet of blog posts using a variety of “roses” that will be formed with these petals from the basket : (1) a quotation, (2) a daily verse, (3) a devotional thought, (4) a book dealing with that day’s topic, and (5) an idea to put into practice!

Petal 1: “Wise men and women in every major culture throughout history have found that the secret to happiness is not in getting more but in wanting less.” —Elaine St. James, Simplify Your Life

Petal 2: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion (under pressure, NLT), for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7, NIV)

Petal 3: We often think of this verse from Corinthians in reference to how much money we put in the offering plate and the smile that is supposed to be on our faces when we put it there! However, a few years ago, I realized that this applied to my activities as well. All too often, I gave my time in “service,” but I did it reluctantly (“grudgingly,” KJV) and under compulsion. At that time, I chose to weed out those areas that were merely “forced service”—after all, God wasn’t going to honor my “non-cheerful” heart—and I decided to simplify my service by doing what God places on my heart and what He gives me joy in doing. Please note: I’m not condoning not serving; I’m proposing that you step away from obligatory actions and ask God to let you serve him with a joyful heart!

Petal 4: Though it was published in 1994, the ideas and suggestions in this book are timeless: Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter (by Elaine St. James). [Affiliate link]

Petal 5: List three activities or “obligations” that you dislike doing and choose one to eliminate. Take the first steps today to simplify your life (ex., call the group leader of the sewing group you dread attending and tell her you’re going to step back from extra activities and focus on helping one church service a month in the nursery ministry).