Simplicity Confounds

Simplicity has always unsettled the complicated mind. Not the simplicity that comes from carelessness or neglect, but the kind that arises from a heart directed entirely toward God. Such a person is not shallow. They are not ignorant. They have merely learned to live without excess, and this makes them difficult to understand in a world that delights in noise and novelty.

A young man who walks to class with his hand in his pocket, fingers quietly moving over a rosary, is not seeking admiration. He is not filling his thoughts with idle diversions. He chooses silence over clamor, prayer over distraction, and in doing so, keeps his soul attentive to the presence of God.

A mother who gathers her children around a plain wooden table each evening, serving a meal she prepared with her own hands, is not falling behind the fashions of the day. She is building a home grounded in peace, steadiness, and gratitude.

An old woman who keeps her Bible near her chair, the cover worn thin and the pages marked by years of reading, may not speak often, but she carries a deep knowledge. Not the kind that fills libraries, but the kind that shapes a life.

The truly simple are not concerned with status or appearance. They are not troubled by what others think. Their peace comes from knowing who they are and who God is. That knowledge is enough. It grants them clarity while others lose themselves in confusion. It gives them rest while others labor to be seen.

Wisdom, in the world’s sense, often becomes a performance. People gather knowledge, speak cleverly, and use their intelligence to dominate the room. But holiness is not the same as brilliance. In fact, sanctity often looks like foolishness to the clever. The saints, by worldly measure, made strange decisions. They gave away their wealth, forgave their enemies, and trusted God with their very lives. And yet, their fruit endures, while the works of many celebrated minds have passed into dust.

What makes the simple person so difficult to grasp is their freedom. They are not bound by the need to impress. They are not led about by every opinion. Their minds are quiet. Their hearts are clear. They do not chase after vanities. They seek God.

This does not mean they are passive or timid. Many of the strongest souls in history were simple in spirit. They acted with great courage, not because they understood everything, but because they trusted the One who did. Their faith gave them the strength to endure ridicule, hardship, and loss. Their simplicity was not weakness. It was armor.

In the end, it is not the powerful who endure. It is not the clever who bring peace. It is the pure of heart who see God. And it is through them that His light enters the world. They do not argue their way into the truth. They live it, quietly and steadily. And in doing so, they often reveal just how hollow the world’s wisdom truly is.

There is a greatness in this smallness. It does not seek praise. It does not demand reward. It is content to be hidden. But when the storm comes, and the proud fall away, it is the simple who remain.


One can't always be magnificent, but simplicity is always a possible alternative. (Wells, The First Men on the Moon)

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