Stop Overcomplicating Everything
Over the summer I realized that I have become the embodiment of a middle-age cliche. Within the span of a few months I had to purchase readers and received some very unwelcome mail from the American Association of Retired Persons. (The mail arrived many years too early, I might add, since I am nowhere near retirement age.) But on the bright side I also downloaded an app that identifies birds based on their sound to round off the process of entering the middle stage of my life.
And I have to say, insulting letters aside, I do find myself completely unashamed of falling into stereotypical midlife behaviors. When you put those readers on for the first time and realize just how badly you needed them there’s no room for embarrassment. There are other clues that I have entered a new stage of life. No, I’m not yelling at kids to get off my lawn…yet. But, I find myself more easily annoyed when I come across something that just doesn’t seem to make sense. As we are currently living through the most nonsensical time in history there are plenty of opportunities to be so. It seems as though all of the things that should be simple have been made as complicated as possible. There is an epidemic of overcomplication and it is contributing to the confusion; I believe intentionally so.
I’ve come across several articles recently addressing the problems of modern dating especially as it pertains to Gen Z. This is of particular interest to me as both of our children are in this generation and our oldest is now in his early 20’s. While there is no shortage of dating apps available, the latest data shows that people are finding them to be less helpful in their quest for true love. And fewer are committing to marriage than ever before. What used to be a simple ‘boy meets girl’ experience now comes with so many additional layers that it’s keeping young people from even attempting to find a spouse.
An article in ‘The Guardian’ highlights the struggle. “Many say the apps feel like work and there is a genuine sense of burnout as people struggle to commit to what is essentially hours of admin a week alongside their day jobs and other responsibilities. And even those who have their pick of matches have found themselves having an unenjoyable experience.” The article goes on to say that the sheer volume of potential matches is overwhelming and contributes to dating app users always thinking there might be someone who is just enough better than the last match. All of this is not to mention the extensive rules for modern dating which are simultaneously spoken and unspoken.
This isn’t only happening in the secular world. We hosted our church’s young adult pastor and his family in our home recently and over dinner the topic of dating came up. When asked about the challenges facing Gen Z Tyler Hanke said, “We are dealing with a multi-front battle. Feminism, porn addiction, economic hardship and an unhealthy church culture that places more emphasis on marriage than personal sanctification.” He went on to say that, “The current dating’ rules’ make dating seem impossible and therefore lead young people to not bother trying.”
A mix of problems they and the culture around them created have added layers of complication that previous generations didn’t face. No wonder fewer and fewer are getting married.
Sir Isaac Newton said, “Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.” I would posit that this tendency in our culture to overcomplicate things that are actually very simple is a way to avoid God’s design which is intended to bring about the flourishing of human beings. Sin thrives in confusion and the more people look to solve their problems in ways that go against the creation order, the more complicated everything becomes and the less likely those problems are ever truly solved. This, of course, is pleasing to the enemy of our souls.
And, while simplicity is the antidote to overcomplication, this isn’t to be confused with being simple-minded which we are warned against in Scripture. Much of the chaos we are seeing in the world is the result of the dangerous combination of simple-mindedness and overcomplicating. The most foolish among us have taken it upon themselves to not only redefine words but also to praise the verbose as if more sentences will somehow hide the fact that they are really saying nothing of substance at all.
Overcomplication will tell you that it’s impossible to live on one income so your wife can stay home with your young children. It will make you think that there’s no way to unplug your teenager from social media even though you know it’s destroying their soul. Overcomplication will have you wondering why your family feels so disconnected and exhausted while you run around town every night for organized sports rather than sitting down at the dinner table together. It will convince you that the things which we’ve always known to be good and true are suddenly subjective and open to personal interpretation.
Biblical simplicity is the solution. “For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.” (2 Corinthians 1:12) Here Paul is explaining the way in which he has conducted himself in his ministry and puts emphasis on the importance of behaving with simplicity and sincerity. Biblical simplicity calls us to speak plainly, to have no hidden agendas, no obfuscation. It also calls us to order our households, our churches, our professions, our government according to God’s design which He clearly outlined for us in His Word.
This means Christians have a particular obligation to not fall into the overcomplication trap. Biblical simplicity is both clarifying and comforting. Clarifying because it peels back the layers of confusion that hide the truth. And comforting because truth is something solid we can rest upon in this shaky world. As our culture descends into more and more confusion we need wise, plainspoken Christ-followers who are ready and willing to lead people out of the murky, overcomplicated mess by pointing them to the clear, simple remedies which will bring peace and freedom to their souls.
