For years I’ve moonlighted as a minimalist consultant, guiding clients as they simplify their possessions and demands on their time. Talking about simplicity makes me bubble over with enthusiasm, as when you share a life-changing book or a crowd- pleasing recipe. You’ve found something so good that it’s hard not to talk about it.

Drawn to minimalism and simplicity for decades, after I digested a handful of books, blogs, and podcasts on the subject, I relentlessly pursued a smaller life more manageable for my family. What began as whittling away at excess possessions and clearing our space of “visual noise” morphed into deeply considering what God was asking of me. Already a wife and mother, I had a clear understanding that loving my husband and children needed to be at the top of my list. However, in addition to a vocation, the Lord blesses us with gifts and charisms—the things that make us feel more alive, the way people encounter Jesus through us.

I realized that how I pursue holy simplicity was to keep my vocation, gifts and charisms as reference points, then trim the fat. Whatever distracts from these reference points gets the boot, and the possessions and time commitments that contribute get to stay. While there is no shortage of literature or YouTube Channels specifying how to simplify your life, none have as their foundation God’s particular design and call for your particular soul. There is no one-size-fits-all (or even fits-most) approach, because quite truly, holy simplicity is as unique as our own souls.

Think of our brothers and sisters in heaven, gloriously donning an imperishable crown because they focused on whatever the Lord asked of them. St. Francis and St. Clare both forsook wealth and societal convention to radically rely on Providence. St. Benedict emphasized a life balanced with Ora et Labora, prayer and work. St. Elizabeth of Hungary was a wealthy queen who eagerly shared her majesty’s resources with her kingdom’s residents, to the criticism of courtiers and palace staff. St. Monica’s determination to faithfully serve her unfaithful husband and simultaneously supplicate Christ for her wayward son’s conversion made her a true conduit of God’s love and mercy to the two important men in her life. These saints were made saints by accepting and obeying God’s will for their lives, trusting that only good would come from the One Who is love and mercy itself.

Though we know countless saints exhibited the same intent gaze on heaven, not a single one of them did it perfectly. They sinned, repented and sinned again until their days ran out; but that’s people. We know from every story of humanity, from Creation to present day, that the pursuit of things and a life outside of the Lord’s will for us consistently yields frustration, misery and sorrow. Remember Adam and Eve partaking of fruit clearly designated as off-limits. Think of Jonah who tried to outrun God’s request to help the Ninevites convert from their wickedness. Judas Iscariot traveled and worked with Jesus Himself, yet still vulnerable to even grave sin, committed the worst of betrayals in human history.

Simply put, in drawing close to Him in Whose image and likeness we are made, we become more like Him and more authentically ourselves. Life is more joyful despite its suffering. Conversely, going our own way and choosing our wants over God’s will effects interior chaos, as well as a propensity to brood over whatever we’re chasing. And once we get our hands on it, it won’t be enough.

I humbly submit this as an invitation. Who is it that your Creator made you to be? What sets your soul on fire? What do you need in your life to move forward with grace and become an increasingly better conduit of God to your nearest and dearest?

Begin there. The result of cutting loose that which fails to contribute to God’s loving will for our lives is clarity; that “I can finally breathe” feeling. Living with less yields so much more than you could ever expect.

Katie Sciba is a national speaker and Catholic Press Award- winning columnist. Katie has been married for 15 years and is blessed with six children.

This article appeared in the March 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.