LIVE SMART—BUILD A MANAGEABLE,
SUSTAINABLE LIFE
If you take an honest look around you, you’ll observe most people living a way of life that’s simply out of control. It’s chaotic, exhausting, overwhelming, and unsustainable. People don’t realize how close to the edge of insanity they really live. They’ve gotten so used to sensory overload, so used to the craziness, that they don’t understand how much better their lives would be if they lived smarter—if they intentionally built a manageable, sustainable way of life for their family.
Proverbs says, “Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.” I see this everywhere. People want more and more. They want to see more. They want to do more. They want to achieve more. They want to own more. They want to experience more. They want unlimited options. They want to “do it all,” as they say. But this is the road to death, not to life. This is the path that will eventually cause the wheels to come off of your life and family. Most don’t even realize it till it’s too late. The normal, American cultural way of life is very destructive.
Unless you intentionally live smart, build a manageable, sustainable life, you will eventually be overwhelmed by stress, unmanageable busyness, and chaos.
I can’t tell you how many fathers I’ve counseled over the years whose lives and family had gotten out of control. They didn’t realize it till it almost destroyed them. Some actually did lose everything. They tried to do too much, buy too much, achieve too much, and ran their families into the ground. They had no idea how to manage their family well. They got infected by the culture around them, but didn’t even realize it. It has become normal to live crazy!
Did you know that in 1980 the average grocery store carried 14,000 items, but today they carry an average of 32,000? Are you kidding me? Who in the world needs that many choices? Who needs that kind of overload? When I graduated in 1975 there were basically 4 brands of jeans to choose from. In 2025, I kid you not, the list was so long that the internet did not carry them all when I looked. It boggles the mind. This only scratches the surface. Go to buy appliances and your eyes will bug out. The stress of just trying to make a decision between all the different options available. Add to that all the tech stress and on and on it goes. I say, “Forget it.” No way will I let all this insanity infect my life and invade my world.
The Simple, Uncomplicated Life!
When I began to follow Jesus Christ in 1975, I determined with all my heart, I was not going to live my life like most people around me. I was going to intentionally avoid as many entanglements as possible, live a simple, uncomplicated life, and raise my family that way.
I can’t tell you enough what a tremendous blessing this has been to our lives. It has helped us immensely, enriched our lives, and helped produce a well managed, sustainable, more enjoyable way of life.
Here are some of the practical ways we did this. Please understand, my purpose in sharing specific, practical examples from my own life is to put “flesh on the bones” of Biblical truth and Biblical principles. It’s to help you integrate and apply them in our 21st century world. It’s not to brag, or say, “Hey, look at me.” It’s to help you visualize, grasp, and understand how to live a manageable, sustainable life in a culture that’s gone absolutely crazy. These are some ways I’ve done this. You may find them helpful. Some of you may find other ways that are useful to you. My singular goal is your genuine success.
We intentionally limited our choices in everything. True freedom comes from limited choices, not unlimited choices that overwhelm the senses and desires. A disciplined life brings freedom. An unrestrained life oppresses and enslaves you.
I use simple, reliable, uncomplicated vehicles. The fancier and more tech laden your car, the more stress, trouble, and expense you will eventually have with it.
We use simple, uncomplicated appliances. Basic ones that do what needs done, rather than loaded with options you will never use. If by chance your home came with the complicated kind, simply use the same basic setting every time, rather than trying to decide which one to use this time.
I have used the Total Gym 1000 for 25 years for my fitness. One of the main reasons–it’s simple, uncomplicated, and I can effortlessly transition to each exercise I need. No changing weights, no wasted time, no complications. I literally do my entire lifting workout in 9 minutes. The same lifting routine in a gym would take at least 40 minutes, not including driving to and from the gym, with all its other distractions.
We home-educated our children. No getting up super early to get them to a bus stop. No packing lunches. No need for lots of school clothes each year. No government school craziness to deal with. No foolish kids’ bullying to deal with. None of their agendas shoved down our throat. We worked at a pace that was manageable and sustainable. It was a joy and blessing.
I get our groceries at stores that have the best prices, carrying between 1500-4000 items, not 32,000. These stores allow me to check myself out quickly and efficiently, and are a much simpler, far less complicated or stressful experience. I always shop with a list. I know exactly what I am looking for. I don’t waste time and energy just looking around, only to be enticed to buy more of their stuff!
We limited outside activities. We did not try to have 4 different kids doing multiple sports, or music lessons, or lots of “outside the home” activities that turn mom and dad into professional taxi drivers, trying to give their kids every possible experience. Do you know the insanity of that, living in a city of almost 4 million people? The stress, the traffic, the construction, the snow, the idiots on their phones, as you are frantically trying to drive around the city to get your kid somewhere? That’s like “shoot me in the head” crazy!
I did everything possible to keep us out of debt, and build a strong, stable financial future. We limited our spending, brought discipline and restraint to our lives, and learned to be content with the basics.
We intentionally bought a home that was low cost and low maintenance. One that when the kids left home, would be easy to manage and take care of, including the yard. It has worked out just as I envisioned 25 years ago. A tremendous blessing.
I lived within my gifts, abilities, and experience. I never tried to do what I was not competent to do, or things outside my real skill set. I never took on more than I could actually handle. If and when severe, unexpected life circumstances came along that demanded more of my time, I made adjustments. I wisely stepped back from something else, rather than just trying to add more to my plate.
I did not overload my wife and expect her to do more than she could, or was capable of. This was critically important. I made sure she had the time she needed to focus on our home and our children. That was her priority, not ministry. I did and do everything I can to help her be successful, in whatever ways I can serve her.
If you carefully study the Scriptures, you will discover that a simple, uncomplicated life is actually Biblical. This kind of life will keep you more holy and devoted to Christ, as it helps ensure a more undistracted way of life. As the Scripture admonishes us–“the worries and distractions of the world, the desire for nice things, the pleasures of life, crowd out God and his Word from our life.” This is, in practical terms, what Jesus meant when he said, “You cannot serve God and money. You will either hate one or love the other.”
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
