“Less is more”

A couple of weeks ago, my company was immersed in preparing a large proposal for a major construction industry client. Our task was to assist them in designing, launching and rolling out, a new corporate vision and strategy programme to guide the growth of the company over the next 5 years.

Theirs is a complicated, multi-site business with over 1,600 employees and my team were engaged in a perfectly friendly, but nonetheless robust debate about the level of complexity and detail in our proposal – particularly relating to the roll-out plan.

It was during this debate that a colleague injected that well-known phrase “less is more” when encouraging us to consider a simpler, clearer and potentially more easily understood plan within our proposal.

Interestingly, the origin of the saying “less is more” can be traced back to a poem written in 1855 by Robert Browning, entitled “Andrea del Sarto”, but it was subsequently attributed to the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a pioneer of modernism. It encapsulates the principle of minimalism in design and architecture, suggesting that simplicity and clarity can be more impactful than excessive ornamentation or complexity.

It comes across as a strange phrase simply because the words “less” and “more” are direct opposites. However, it is often used effectively to convey the thought that when things are pared down to the essentials, we can more easily focus on what really matters most – such was the case with our client proposal.

However, it might well be applied to part of the Old Testament story of Gideon (Judges 7). You may remember that Gideon was about to fight a battle against the Midianites. He had at his disposal 32,000 trained soldiers. God challenged him to reduce the number – and 22,000 doubters were dismissed, leaving 10,000 men.

Quite a cut! But God said, “still too many” – and 9,700 ambivalent men were eliminated from the army, leaving only a fighting force of just 300. With 32,000 soldiers Gideon would have placed his trust in an army of trained men.

The reduction changed the mindset of all concerned. Now with only 300, Gideon was forced to trust in God and God alone. And of course, that was the whole purpose of the exercise.

I wonder if this was actually the first example of “less is more”? And is God still trying to persuade us today that all the stuff we keep, the money we save, the plans and arrangements we make, all just stop us from putting our trust in God?

And as we look forward to the arrival at some point of a new minister and carefully consider the future of our church, should we not remember and be thinking about those areas of our life and work where God might be saying today – don’t trust in all these things – trust me. Less is more!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight”. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Ken Carter