Being Amish is not a lifestyle.
Life among the Amish has to do with faith. Faith can’t be squeezed to an hour or two on Sunday morning; it infuses their entire life like a teabag in hot water. What they do and how they do it is rooted in the spiritual question: What is pleasing to God?
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.
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: 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.
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.
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!
Come back next week for part 2. Plus, swing by my Facebook page for a special giveaway celebration the release of The Quieting!
Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling author of Amish fiction and non-fiction, and a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazine. The Search won a 2012 Carol Award. The Waiting was a finalist for a 2011 Christy Award. The Choice was a finalist for a 2011 Carol Award. The Letters is a finalist for a Christian Retailing 2014 Best Award. Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World and Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life were both finalists for the ECPA Book of the Year (2010, 2011). Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, who was raised Plain in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. She travels back east a couple of times each year for research.
Suzanne’s latest release, The Quieting, is now available!
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