by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Posted December 17, 2012 on the Not
Quite Amish blog
The Not Quite Amish blog begins with these words: "Not Quite Amish is a community blog for
those who love Amish communities, simple living, vintage style, and have a
desire to be in growing relationships with friends, family, and God. . . . You
want more peace in your life, in your home, in your family, and in your heart.
You want to try a new recipe and pick up a needle and thread. You want to learn
to simplify and care for God's green earth (and teach your children to do the
same)."
Even if you don't read Amish fiction, you will probably enjoy author Suzanne Woods Fisher's list of "10 Things I've
Learned from the Amish." Any
thoughts or comments? Can you relate to
Suzanne's list? Are there some
things that you admire about the Amish lifestyle?
______________________
10 Things I've Learned from the
Amish
Amish proverb: “Letting go of
earthly possessions enables us to take hold of heavenly treasures.”
The Lesson: To pray about my day’s
activities and offer them to God, first, for His purposes. And then trusting
interruptions (such as bumping into a chatty friend in the grocery store) or
de-railings (those frustrating days when everything goes wrong) to be
God-managed.
Life isn’t trouble-free.
The Amish believe the biblical explanation that “the rain falls on the just and
the unjust.” When faced with difficulties, they quickly move on, adjusting to
the circumstances. The barn raising might be the best metaphor to illustrate
how the Amish handle adversity. When a barn burns down, they don’t dwell on why
it burned, they gather together to rebuild. And then they praise God: for the
lumber, the nails, the caring community that skillfully puts it together, the
animals that will inhabit it, and for a chance to start again.
Amish proverb: “You can tell when
you’re on the right track. It’s usually uphill.”
The Lesson: Peace is not simply the
absence of difficulties. God’s peace can exist even in the middle of problems.
Enough is . . . enough.
The Amish believe that setting limits on almost everything is one of the
foundations of wisdom. They put the brakes on accumulation and all the
distractions and complications that come with it. There’s a point, they
believe, where enough is enough, especially if it interferes with what is truly
important to them: faith, family, community.
Amish proverb: “We live simply so
others may simply life.”
The Lesson: As the holiday season
approaches, consider scaling down. Buy less. And think twice about what you do
purchase. In the upside down world of Christianity, living with less ends up
giving you more.
Just enough for today and
not a penny more. The Amish believe in hard work and frugality, but
they strive to prevent affluent living, keeping up with the Joneses, and social
status. In fact, they don’t even value the indicators of success that we prize:
income, education, luxuries, and symbols of prosperity. To the Amish way of
thinking, “If fools have much, they spend much.”
Amish proverb: “He who has no money
is poor; he who has nothing but money is even poorer.”
The Lesson: Money is a tool, not a
goal.
Cherish your family.
A family that works together, grows together. Amish families spend a lot of
time together and try to keep their work close to home. Children are valued as
gifts from God, wanted and enjoyed. They’re included in all of Amish life—from
barn raisings to three-hour church services. An Amish bishop once said, “We
don’t prepare our children for the future, we prepare our children for
eternity.”
Amish proverb: “Tomorrow’s world
will be shaped by what we teach our children today.”
The Lesson: Involving children in
chores and activities may not be the most convenient or efficient way to
accomplish a task, but the benefits are long lasting. Look for ways to get
everybody involved—cook together, sweep out the garage together, set the table
together. And have fun while you’re doing it!
Draw a line in the sand.
The Amish want to be good stewards of God’s resources—time, money, material
goods. They know that convenience comes with a cost. They don’t want to be
dependent on outside sources (such as electricity or gas!). Convenience means
loss of something valuable. For example, fast food means less nutrition. More
stuff means more maintenance. They’re willing to say no.
Amish proverb: “Things that steal
our time are usually the easiest to do.”
The Lesson: Technology has its
limits. And technology isn’t all good. Evaluate purchases more thoughtfully.
Think of where a purchase or an added expense will lead your family. More time
together or less? More stress or less? Reframe your view of time and money and
goods as God’s resources.
Watch your words.
The Amish continually stress the importance of filtering their speech.
Amish proverb: “Words break no
bones, but they can break hearts” and “Mincing your words makes it easier if
you have to eat them later.”
The Lesson: Say less. Pray more.
Nothing replaces
face-to-face visits. Back in the day when telephones emerged on the
scene, the Amish bishops made a deliberate decision to keep the telephone out
of the house. They didn’t want to interrupt family life. But they drop
everything for a face-to-face visit.
Amish proverb: “Use friendship as a
drawing account, but don’t forget to make a deposit.”
The Lesson: Nurture relationships
by investing face-to-face time in them. No technology can substitute for the
real thing.
Honor the Sabbath.
An Amish person would never think of working on a Sunday. But it’s more than
that—they truly cherish their Sabbath. They spend time on Saturday to make
Sunday a smooth and easy day.
Amish proverb: “Many things I have
tried to grasp and have lost. That which I have placed in God’s hands I still
have.”
The Lesson: Strive to make Sunday a
different day than other days. A day of rest is important on so many
levels—time to worship, time to reflect, time to re-energize. A re-charge your
battery day.
Waiting isn’t a verb.
It’s an attitude. For the Amish, time is not something to be mastered, but
respected. What a contrast to the non-Amish perception of time: there’s never
enough of it!
Amish proverb: “Patience is a
virtue that carries a lot of wait.”
The Lesson: The Amish can teach us to slow down. They remind us that
Christians should look at life from a different perspective because we are part
of a different kingdom—one that stretches into eternity.http://notquiteamishliving.com/
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