Proverbs 9:6
Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”
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There’s nothing worse than getting stuck in a season you already graduated from.
Ask any athlete, artist, or person who’s been walking with God for more than a few seasons—what once was difficult can become dangerous if you stay there too long.
You know what I’m talking about. That one friend, still rocking the same sweatsuit from 1993 like they’re Run-DMC’s understudy.
I mean, respect to the 90’s or whatever era you came up in — but if we’re still operating like we did in the season of ‘come up’, you have to wonder if you're really growing… or just comfortably stuck.
Listen, I get it…in case you didn’t catch it, that shade about the sweatsuits was really a joke about me! I still wear sweatsuits like I’m auditioning for Run-DMC.
Why? Because it’s easy to confuse nostalgia with the here and now.
We stay stuck in past patterns, because they once worked.
But wisdom? She urges us to ‘never stop growing in a motion that’s progressional’.
And often, just when you’re comfortable, She calls you back into complexity to master deeper understanding, not to stay stuck in recycled routines.
Now hear this when it comes to that call back into complexity you must realize that
God is not the author of confusion — but He is the author of complexity.
1 Corinthians 14:33 tells us this, why? Because confusion blocks your progress. Complexity builds it.
Confusion is chaos, contradiction, unclear direction.
Complexity is designed depth — the woven beauty of all things living.
Think about it: ecosystems, human bodies, language, DNA… all of it built on complexity.
Simplicity has its season — but complexity grows your soul.
I See the Entire System like a Cycle
We start in Confusion
“This don’t make no sense.”
The start of anything new feels awkward. You don’t know where to start, and everything feels like too much. This is where many tap out.
Then we’re called to move into Complexity
“Okay, I get it… I think…I get it…kinda…”
The fog starts to lift. You’re learning, but it’s still heavy. You begin to realize Oh, this is a process.
This is what the 1st part of Proverbs 9:6 means when it says:
“Leave your simple ways...”
Next, when we get to ‘Competence’ that’s when we experience the 2nd half of Proverbs 9:6 we begin to ‘live’ in that ‘new new’!
“I can do this now.”
Things begin to click. You feel more confident. You’ve put in the reps. What was once confusing has become clear.
And in that ‘living space’ we discover ‘Comfort’ (or what I would like to call Mastery)
“Oh this is second nature.”
You’re moving with ease now. You’ve got rhythm. Flow. You might even forget how hard it was to begin with.
But here’s the danger — this sense of ease can become your ceiling, so wisdom calls you ‘right into complexity’ to start the cycle again and what happens, you discover something that is new, novel, and even ‘confusing’...and the wheel goes round and round. Confusion–Complexity-Competence–Comfort.
✨ God’s Complexity Is a Call to Life
Proverbs 9:6 doesn’t just say leave the simple.
It says, “when you leave, there’s much more life out there to live.”
That’s the real promise.
When you level up—when you accept the call to deeper understanding—you don’t just survive…
You come alive.
What once was difficult becomes your discipline.
What becomes your discipline becomes your dance.
But when the dance becomes too simple… it’s time to level up all over again.
Prayer
Stretch me, Lord, beyond comfort into complex, abundant, awakened life.
🎯 Today’s Challenge
Identify one area where you’ve outgrown the simple.
Is it a spiritual habit? A mindset? A relationship?
Pray about how to step forward into complexity—and take one bold action that breaks your comfort pattern.
The call to complexity is really a call to live.
Are you ready?
About the Author
Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch
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Be Wise and Be Well...peace.
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