Have you ever noticed how frequently patterns repeat? Our world is filled with them. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Fibonacci Sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 … Any number in the sequence is calculated by summing the preceding two values: 1 + 1 = 2 (which gives the third Fibonacci number in the sequence), 1 + 2 = 3, 2 + 3 = 5, 5 + 8 = 13, and so on. When the Fibonacci numbers are calculated in terms of areas of rectangles, a Fibonacci spiral is formed by connecting opposite diagonals of the rectangles. You’ve seen this spiral pattern in nature.
I was raised by a single mom with meager means. During my childhood, my mom experienced several layoffs. For over ten years it was just her, me, and my five-year younger sister. I don’t recall my mom ever making a big deal about our limited means, but I was aware.
Simplicity seems simple, in fact, even childlike. Most children are content to play with boxes rather than complex toys. But if simplicity is simple, why is it that for most of us it is something we have to live into far along on our journey into Christlikeness? I don’t know about you, but I spent a large portion of my childhood excited to become an adult. Don’t get me wrong. I certainly enjoyed being a kid and played hard, but I also longed to be mature. And now that I’m in my mid-40s and technically considered middle aged, I’m finding the scriptures ringing true—Jesus calls us to come full circle and like a child once again.