If your lesson is online, write the following bullet points in a Word document before your teaching time. Ask students to have an index card and a pen/pencil ready for this part of the lesson. If your group is meeting together in a physical room, write the list on a whiteboard during Step 3 of the lesson.

• Assessing what keeps life complicated; working to simplify these things
• Setting priorities that flow from loving God above all else
• Downsizing possessions
• Cutting back on shopping and discretionary spending
• Eating simple foods
• Enjoying simple pleasures that require no expense
• Removing distractions and preoccupations with things

Simplicity is recognized as a spiritual discipline in many traditions of the Christian faith, though perhaps one we don’t focus on much in our affluent, American culture. One writer on spiritual practices, Adele Calhoun, says that some ways to practice simplicity would include these points (share the list document on your screen).

• Consider these practices. Do any surprise you? Would you add any points that might help in practicing simplicity? (Accept all reasonable answers. We may understand the practice of getting rid of things but may not think about how the foods we eat and activities we participate in relate to a stuff-based mindset. Students might specifically name technological items and distractions, or others; these suggestions may fit into the existing bullet points or you might add a new one.)
• Which of these practices would you find easiest to implement? Which one would be the most challenging? (Answers will vary. Accept all reasonable answers. You could ask how living through this pandemic has affected their answers.)

Have students discuss what they might specifically do to implement each of these seven simplicity practices in their lives. Ask students to write down the seven simplicity practices. Have them carry this card during the week, trying out one practice per day. At the end of the week, students can circle one practice they want to incorporate into their life on a regular basis.

Close in prayer, with palms open, as if to receive a gift. Remind students that this posture can help us remember that everything we have is a gift from God. We can be joyful about our things and hold them loosely, so they don’t take His place.

Take time this week to text your students. Check in with them to see how they are doing. Find out how it is working to implement the different simplicity practices. Share how you are doing.

Additional resources:
Spiritual Practice of Simplicity