Last week, I presented some data that suggests that, as an American society, we are more burned out, anxious, and depressed than we've ever been. This week, I want to dive a bit into what this means for those of us who follow Jesus.
Personally, I find the implications of this data very frustrating. It's the kind of thing that makes me upset...like when folks talk about PTSD as a chronic condition. Too many of us live under the assumption that worry and anxiety and depression just exist and there's virtually nothing we can do about it outside of, perhaps, medication. But really, we just need to learn to live with it...which is utter nonsense. To be sure, there are times when chemical imbalances in the brain cause these various conditions and they need to be addressed with appropriate use of medication.
But the reality is that most of us don't fall in this category. Most of us are just being steadily eaten alive with worry. We are in bondage to anxiety. We are exhausted and burned out. Of course, the challenges of the last year have been extreme from our modern vantage point. Many wiser and smarter people than me have pointed out that our experience in 2020 is far from an anomaly in human history though. In fact, until the 20th century, the average life expectancy in the world fluctuated from 30-40 years of age.
What's clear is that our problems are not new. But, we do have more of those problems bombarding their way into our lives constantly (thanks to social media and our hyperconnected world). I talk more about that phenomenon and a way to combat it in this post.
Jesus came to address these issues very specifically. He came to set captives free, to open the eyes of the blind, to bind up the brokenhearted, to heal the sick, to raise the dead. He came to ransom the hearts, minds, and souls of men and women enslaved to sin and death. He came to give rich, fulfilling, meaningful life to all who would receive it. The Good News of the Kingdom is that life is available to all people through Jesus.
But don't take my word for it. To a people who were tired and burned out (not unlike us), he said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30, NIV)
So, if you are tired, weary, and burdened, what's your solution? Scroll mindlessly for 8 hours through TikTok? Watch all of Netflix? Both at the same time? Other practices to numb ourselves to the experiences of our daily life - food or alcohol or sex or medication?
Jesus' invitation was simple: Come to me and I will give you rest.
On the one hand, I get it. This sounds like such a religious answer. And many of us might say, "I know I should do this, but I don't know how." Or we say, "I know I should do this, but I really don't feel like it?"
Our answers betray our problem: we have turned the life-giving freedom of the Gospel into a series of religious obligations and duties...a life of should and supposed to and have to.
Jesus did not come to impose more burdens on us. He came to lift the burdens off us. He came to pull through life with us. He came to awaken our hearts and help us to live from our desires with fullness and meaning and purpose. He came to bring freedom and hope.
And while there's certainly a lot more that I could say, I'll take all of this and personalize it. For those of you who know me well, you know my 2020 was...less than ideal. But, I made it! And honestly, I'm doing really well. I could tell you it's because I'm awesome. But that's not true. It's really about this idea that Jesus shares - finding real life by laying all of our burdens and the entirety of our lives upon him and living life daily with God. So, all that to say, here are some practices from the last year that have helped me to walk with God and experience his life in hard times:
1) Prayer: Dallas Willard defines prayer as having a conversational relationship with God. It's very simple but we make it very complicated. Personally, I find it best to pick a consistent time every day (mornings are best for me) to sit in solitude with God. The whole thing is a conversation - Scripture, my clumsy words, listening, Scripture, more clumsy words...you get the picture. And if you have any questions on how to develop a life of prayer, I'd be happy to talk with you and point you in the direction of some helpful resources. And while you may be tempted to dismiss this and move on to other things, prayer really is foundational. I've found that the more consistent I am in this discipline, the more life I find in the rest of my daily life.
2) Beauty: There are three great transcendentals according to Plato: the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. Years later, the likes of Augustine and Aquinas would riff on these ideas. But the Apostle Paul said something very similar: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8, NIV). Beauty is restorative to your soul. Beauty heals broken hearts. Beauty is central to being fully alive. For me, this looks like spending more time outside, appreciating the beauty of the natural world. Or listening to beautiful music. Or being around beautiful people (specifically those with beauty on the inside...that's the best kind of beauty). Sunrises, babbling brooks, quiet forests, Bach, a great sandwich, kind friends, my kids...these things can bring healing to your soul when encountered with an awareness that they are God's gifts for you.
3) Digital Downtime: This one's fairly straightforward...get off your devices. My iPhone has app limits and screen time limits and I shamelessly use them. Personally, I have a 12-hour rule on my phone...most of the apps are on downtime from 7pm-7am. Sure, it's annoying when I want to show my friends something and then I can't...or I have to ignore the limit for 15 minutes. But this discipline has brought me a lot of freedom, saved me countless hours, and helped me to fill my time with things that give me life (exercising, reading, watching great movies, talking with friends, etc.)
4) Sabbath: The old Jewish rhythm was fairly simple...six days of work, one day of absolute rest and delight in God. There are entire books about Sabbath but here's the general idea - pick one day and don't do any work...no laundry, no cleaning, no grocery store trips, no office visits, no email, no social media, no busyness, no work. Slow down and eat food you love, be around people who make you happy, take a nap, do something you love to do...hopefully you get the idea. It doesn't happen by accident; you have to plan for it. But it's liberating.
5) Counseling and Spiritual Direction: One of the best things I've done in a long time is to look for a good, wise counselor who would push me and challenge me. He's dropped a lot of wise nuggets on me this last year, but one of the most helpful realizations I had was that negative emotions (anger, fear, worry, etc.) are just indicators - warning lights on the dashboard of your heart and mind and soul. Life is hard and you will face disappointment and loss. If you don't process those things honestly and let them out on your terms, they'll come out on their own terms. It's like trying to hold a beach ball underwater or pressure building up in a pipe - that stuff will come out eventually. Counseling or spiritual direction or meeting regularly with a Pastor or a group of wise friends is all really, really important because it's like a valve to release the pressure.
Here's the bottom line (literally): The Kingdom of God is one of righteousness, joy, and peace. Our world will drive us towards incivility, depression, and anxiety. Make a conscious choice to live life with God and gradually and increasingly, the weight of that burden will be less.
Praying for you today,
Steve
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