{"id":1382,"date":"2011-08-13T05:24:17","date_gmt":"2011-08-13T09:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=1382"},"modified":"2011-08-06T18:42:20","modified_gmt":"2011-08-06T22:42:20","slug":"less-is-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/08\/less-is-more.html","title":{"rendered":"Less is more"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Often I edit my blog entries eliminating the unnecessary words.\u00a0 When teaching writing skills\u00a0or attending a writer’s conference, I will say or hear said, “In writing, less is more.”<\/p>\n

Last Thursday, as I looked into the eyes of one of our Special Gathering\u00a0members, I could not imagine that I once saw him as a blank sheet of paper.\u00a0 When his mother attended our first teachers’ retreat, I sat with her as she and her son ate their dinner at a local restaurant, where we had gathered for the meal.<\/p>\n

Jim sat in the classic Indian pose with\u00a0one leg crossed over the other.\u00a0 His hands were in his lap, palms up and he was silently\u00a0looking around the room.\u00a0 He ignored\u00a0the plate of fried chicken and green beans placed in front of him.<\/p>\n

\u00a0I saw no expression on his face.\u00a0 Yet, his mother said while coaxing him to eat another bite,\u00a0 “He is having so much fun.\u00a0 He can’t even finish his chicken and that’s his favorite food.”\u00a0 Then she turned to me and said, “Look at him.\u00a0 I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen him have this much fun.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Over the years of studying him, I’ve learned the nuances of his smiles and the expressions that tell me Jim’s outlook and feelings.\u00a0 Non-verbal, Jim signs a bit; but his words are limited.\u00a0Adding to that,\u00a0my signing is even more limited.\u00a0 I must depend on his facial and body\u00a0cues to help me decipher the many clues he radiates to the world.\u00a0 Knowing Jim, you realize that he clearly speaks to those who are interested in hearing.\u00a0 He expresses\u00a0his attitudes, his delights and his irritations.<\/p>\n

There are so many of the Special Gathering members who are much the same way.\u00a0 Their personalities run deep but their ability to share that depth is locked away–unless you care to discover their secrets.<\/p>\n

Isn’t God much the same with the world?\u00a0 He has given all he can give;\u00a0but so much about Him is locked in a safe deposit box.\u00a0 To retrieve the valuable prize of knowing him, you must ask permission to open the treasure trove of his love and blessings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once we ask, however, the delights of knowing him opens like a rose, pedal by pedal.\u00a0You cannot discover all the secrets at once.\u00a0 It’s\u00a0the\u00a0glorious adventure of\u00a0his eternity.\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0What are some of the things you have learned from the Lord recently?\u00a0 Do you have a Jim in your life?\u00a0 What have you learned from him or her?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Often I edit my blog entries eliminating the unnecessary words.\u00a0 When teaching writing skills\u00a0or attending a writer’s conference, I will say or hear said, “In writing, less is more.” Last Thursday, as I looked into the eyes of one of our Special Gathering\u00a0members, I could not imagine that I once saw him as a blank…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,20,3,40,186,49,16,215,8,12,4],"tags":[690,21,688,7,699,715,701,694,692,6],"class_list":["post-1382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-church","category-developmental-disabilities","category-faith","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-intellectual-disability","category-love","category-mentally-challenged-community","category-religion","category-simple-truths","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faith","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-religion","tag-simple-scriptural-truths"],"yoast_head":"\nLess is more - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/08\/less-is-more.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Less is more - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Often I edit my blog entries eliminating the unnecessary words.\u00a0 When teaching writing skills\u00a0or attending a writer’s conference, I will say or hear said, “In writing, less is more.” Last Thursday, as I looked into the eyes of one of our Special Gathering\u00a0members, I could not imagine that I once saw him as a blank…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/08\/less-is-more.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-08-13T09:24:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-08-06T22:42:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2011\/08\/Jean-Michel-Labat-Ancient-writing-542951-300x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. 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