A Blog About Nothing

I haven't written a blog post in quite a while. Oh, I want to; not many things in this life stimulate my mind and spirit quite like typing out my thoughts. But for the past few months I don't really feel like I've had anything to say. Life has been happening at hyper speed and I've just been trying to keep my head above water.

We bought a house, things at church have been busy (in a good way), family situations have taken time and energy, we just started the Paleo diet (which takes up more time than we thought it would), and that's just to name a few of the things going on. I don't feel burnt out or overextended, but I just haven't had much time for any sort of personal creative processes in my life.

If I'm being honest however, I would have to add in the fact that whenever I do have a little bit of down time, I seem to cloud it with TV, social media, or something else that really adds no value to my life.

This blog is about nothing because sometimes that's what we need to do - nothing. Our culture has trained us to be constantly stimulated and entertained by something. We can't even stand in the line at Chipotle without mindlessly pulling out our phones, checking to see if someone else "liked" our latest post. No? They didn't? Well, that's okay, I can just scroll through my feed until someone asks to take my order.

But have you ever just sat down and let your mind wander? When is the last time you caught yourself daydreaming? I believe that those moments can actually become productive. Do you really think you're going to be inspired on Facebook? Or that you're going to cultivate your imagination and creative thinking by scrolling through news articles?

When we sit and observe the world, we can actually allow our minds to think without being told what to think. Some of my best ideas (self-proclaimed) were birthed in moments like these; moments of silence. Just sitting, praying from time to time, processing my day, observing people & creation and letting my mind wander.

You don't have to always have something to "do." Permit yourself to dream, take things in, sit in silence.

Something I haven't brought up that is crucial to this whole idea is the fact that God commands us to do this. He set aside an entire day of the week as a Sabbath rest. While we are no longer obligated to observe the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament, I still believe the principle of the Sabbath is crucial to our walk with Christ. A day of worship, rest and recuperation. A day to remind yourself that you are not God. A day to "Be still, and know that HE is God" (Psalm 46:10). Not to mention the fact that Jesus pulled away from the people often (Luke 5:16). I know that His main purpose was prayer, I just can't help but believe that there were also many moments that He just sat and pondered.

I believe the reason it has been so long since I wrote a blog post is because I have not carved out these times in my life. I have enslaved myself to the idea that I need to always have something to do. Furthermore, I have allowed myself to believe the foolish lie that as a pastor, if I have down time, I have to read Scripture or pray. Don't get me wrong, I believe as Christ followers we can never spend enough time in the Word or in prayer. However, I believe that there are days and moments where God wants us to remember that "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands" (Psalm 19:1). Because those moments of silence can actually begin to enhance our times in the Word.

Taking time to do nothing often brings everything into perspective. - Doe Zantamata

If you desire to be spiritually, emotionally and mentally healthy, you need to learn the discipline of doing nothing. I hope that if you've read this far, you know what I mean by "nothing." It is in those moments of doing nothing that you can more deeply commune with your Savior, allowing the Holy Spirit to renew & refresh your mind, allow yourself space to imagine, give yourself breathing room to create, and maybe even begin to see the world with your eyes - not your iPhone.