Simplicity
Week 03: Pleasure
You were made for pleasure. Yes, you read that right. You were designed by God to see beauty, hear music, taste good food, and feel pleasure. In fact, that’s what the word Eden means. When God created Adam he placed him in the garden of “pleasure” or “paradise” (Eden). He did this because we were meant to enjoy God’s creation and extend its beauty and creativity to the ends of the earth (Genesis 2:15). You were made to experience the world and enjoy it. You were made for pleasure.
But when we are consumed by the pursuit of pleasure it can lead to unhealthy places (Genesis 3:6). Too much food will lead to health problems. An obsession with beauty can lead to a negative body image. And too much music will make your ears bleed (especially if you listen to Taylor Swift). But seriously, too much of a good thing can be unhealthy.
We were made for pleasure. But too much of it isn’t good. So what do we do? We need to learn to enjoy creation without being ruled by it. We were made by God to rule over creation (Genesis 1:26). In other words, we were made to create culture, cultivate beauty, and make the world a better place. We were made to extend the beauty of God’s creation in the world. But balance is the key to it all.
In our culture we celebrate over-indulgence. We want more, faster, a better than ever before. “If technology can make it possible I guess we should go for it”, we tell ourselves. But at what cost? Have you ever just kept eating after you were full? What happened? I bet those last bites didn’t taste as good as the ones before. Also, I bet the album you listened to on repeat last summer doesn’t hit the same way anymore. Why? Because familiarity breeds contempt. Some things are better in moderation.
Practice for this week: This week we will practice simplicity of pleasure. Moderation is vital in the life of an apprentice of Jesus. In fact, its a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:24). In other words, self-control is evidence of God’s presence in your life.
01 – Examine your heart + life. What are the passions of excess in your life? Where are you prone to over-indulge? Where do you pursue pleasure at an unhealthy level? Do you over-indulge in food, social media, entertainment, work, sleep, or maybe some other thing?
02 – Examine your motives. Is there a reason you over-indulge in that pleasure? Are you escaping from something? Are you dulling a pain in your life? Are you avoiding responsibility? Is that thing replacing something in your life? Examine the why behind what you are doing. Spend 2-5 minutes in solitude and ask the Holy Spirit to bring anything to mind.
03 – Envision a healthy version of pleasure. What would it look like to model your life after Jesus in this area? How would Jesus engage these things if he were you? Make a plan to practice simplicity of pleasure for the week ahead.