Effort Versus Minimalism

Have you noticed that buildings, malls, houses, interior design, and electronics, all seem to be soulless? I think something has crept into our culture through art called ‘minimalism’. Minimalism can be defined as the art of doing something with the least amount of saturation or intensity. It is seen in modern homes where the design is so simple that it includes the least amount possible to create an effect. It is seen in modern art with few colours, simple lines, and careful placement of those lines and colours.

I think it has affected the way we live our lives, where now it is uncool to put much effort into our work, art, relationships, or anything else. Unfortunately, there are areas in our lives that really matter and sometimes we do not put as much effort as we should. Nowadays you can show up at work without showering, or not looking your best, but because of the woke mentality and the fear of offending people, you will not be disciplined or called out for this.

If we go to the Bible to see what God has to say about this, we can see God commands us to do everything as if we were doing it for him. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, it says, ‘Whatever you are doing, show that God is great. When you eat anything, or you drink anything, do it all in a way that praises God.’ I encourage you to do things to the best of your ability, and to give everything you have in you on your next work assignment, or whatever God has given you to do. Next time you meet up with a friend, try to be a good listener, ask helpful questions, and really make an effort in your conversation. We do not worship a ‘minimalistic’ God, but a perfect God, who does everything with excellence, and who put great effort into creating you.

The truth about being really good at something and it appearing to be effortless is that a lot of effort was put into it in the first place for it to look effortless. We worship a God who created a majestic world, who made so many wonderful, awesome, jaw-dropping works of art. You are one of those, and since we are made in his image, we have it in us to want to be creative and express that creativity through various outlets.

There is also another danger that, if we are not careful, unhealthy core beliefs can creep in and damage the way we live and interact with others. Maybe in the past we were very passionate about something that not everyone liked, and their rejection made us create defence mechanisms. So now we do not show passion for things we love. Or maybe we have gone to the other extreme and have become perfectionists, where everything has to be very good and, if it isn’t, we beat ourselves up.

In both cases we need the Lord to bring His truth and the fullness of His Word into our lives. It is good to make an effort, and put our best into everything we do, but we will never be perfect. It is in that middle ground where we can find peace knowing we did the best we can, but that, if there are some mistakes in it, God will love us regardless.