Refocusing as Therapy

 

I wanted to write something a bit more positive, as the past few visits have been somewhat emotive.  It is just that as I am writing this even now a lot of stuff is going on in my life, much of which I don’t have any plausible solution for.  So, writing in many ways is an encouragement.  And it is also why today I wanted to write this, as it touches upon another issue related to my own experience.

In his book, Leisure: The Basis of Culture, Catholic philosopher Josef Pieper makes the case that leisure is integral to the human experience.  By “leisure,” Pieper is not speaking of the cardinal vice of sloth – in reality, the contrary is true.  Recently, when I was facing a huge issue that almost cost me my home, I learned an important lesson about this which I believe is also a point Pieper is trying to communicate to his readers.  The realization I had was that I needed to stay focused on the task and not let circumstances paralyze me.  For instance, I have a dissertation to finish, and am in the final revisions of the manuscript before being scheduled to defend it later in the summer.  Therefore, being focused on the bigger picture and not letting present trials derail me is essential.  I also am responsible for the upkeep of my home – I have a menagerie of pets to care for, a lawn to keep mowed, etc.  Last week, when I was really feeling some emotional duress over a circumstance which has been beleaguering me for months, I decided to stick to routine and mow my grass.  Now, mowing is not one of my favorite chores by a longshot – it exerts a lot of effort to even mow a small yard like mine is. And, as a younger man, I used to be a professional landscaper and worked at a retirement park in Florida where I had to mow in excess of 60 lawns a week, but at 54 now I am not quite in the same shape I was in when I was 23.  However, when I was mowing my grass last week, it actually felt therapeutic to me, and although I was physically exerted from the task, I felt better inside. I get the same feeling as I work on my dissertation now too – there is a satisfaction one gets from accomplishing something.  And, that is what I wanted to write about this week, as it sort of is a bit of a life lesson for me that I feel should be shared.

“Work” is a word that is often treated on the same level as the F-bomb by so many people.  The thought of investing work and labor into something is often exhausting in itself.  If you remember the old Dobie Gillis sitcom for instance, you will recall Bob Denver’s wacky beatnik character Maynard G. Krebs yelping in distress when the word was mentioned, and it made for a hilarious story line in that show.  The thought of having to work evokes things – we don’t want our body to be strained or pained from the labor, we don’t have the patience to work toward the result because we are interested in the final product rather than the process, and our concupiscent nature is rather resistant to work.  But, in all honesty, work is actually good for us.  In Genesis 3:19, as a result of the Fall, God decreed to Adam that “by the sweat of your brow you will eat.”  This is traditionally understood to be a curse, but is it really?  You have also heard the old adage “idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” right?  It goes along with this passage in Scripture and gives us a new perspective on work.  Rather than a curse, work should be seen as a protection for us – imagine in this world if you didn’t have focus and standards, things would be boring.  Sure, there are mundane, unsavory, and other aspects of work that we don’t necessarily enjoy, but again, it is the end result – we are rewarded.  Also, think about what no work would do – our minds and spirits have to be stimulated, and if nothing does that, then our proclivities to create and have activity will not be channeled properly and the result is that we end up in trouble.  Bored people end up in several unfavorable situations – they can get sick from inactivity, they begin to do naughty things due to boredom, and they will ultimately become a burden upon their own society. As much as we fantasize about sleeping in until noon on a lazy Saturday, or lounging on a beautiful beach in a hammock, these are but temporary pleasures.  After a while, we have to do something.  Proper rest is essential, but excessive inactivity is not.  Oddly, there are times actually when in work we may actually find rest!  Let’s unpack that paradox a bit.

One of the things Pieper talks about in his book is something called Acedia.  Pieper defines this term in his book as “despair from weakness” on page 44, and what he means by this is quite simple. Acedia is an enslaving condition in which man obsesses over something, and it does not necessarily as it has been interpreted mean that one is aggressively seeking career goals over anything else (although it can mean that too).  The feeling of being overwhelmed by a problem and obsessing over it to the point it paralyzes your own daily life is really what acedia is, and in that regard it is a type of slavery as well as a form of idolatry.  Sitting and obsessing over a problem doesn’t solve the problem – if it is out of your control, you need to do two things.  First, a trust in God is essential.  This is not as easy as it sounds, as over the years I have gotten into some one-sided battles with God over situations I felt powerless against, and it is a human thing to do that in all honesty. Trusting in God is a daily effort, and it doesn’t come overnight.  But, you know you are on the right track when despite the circumstance, there is something deep inside you that just says “it’s gonna be OK.”  That feeling is one we should take seriously, as it could be divine direction.   Secondly, one mustn’t lose focus. This means that despite circumstances, one must keep up with their tasks at hand and not let fear or despair paralyze them.  This is why even mowing the grass is technically a form of rest, as one is focusing on the task at hand rather than the circumstance they are facing.  And, speaking from experience, it does help tremendously.  Work, in this case, may be our saving grace rather than a curse.  The strength God has given men in particular is being able to not let adversity control one’s life, and even in the face of overwhelming odds, you keep looking ahead and focused on your life responsibilities and routine tasks.  Some would call this self-discipline, and it could be that I suppose.  However, there is more to it than that.  It is in many ways also a type of spiritual warfare.  When the enemy is trying to derail you with adversity, your persistence in maintaining order and discipline in life is a lethal weapon.  It is telling Satan that you don’t have time to waste on his tricks and deceptions, as there are more important things to do.  And, that is another aspect of this discussion.

Having come out of the Pentecostal tradition, the topic of spiritual warfare was a common theme in sermons, televangelist rants, and reading material.  This is one reason why Frank Peretti became a very successful Christian author, as many of his books dealt with that specific topic.  Many Bible passages are used in relation to spiritual warfare – Ephesians 6 comes to mind, as does James 4:7.  This second passage is one I want to talk about in relation to this topic.  When studying this verse, it has two components to it:

1.      Submission to God

2.      Resisting the devil

Notice that these are connected to each other.  By submitting to the will of God, often that is resistance to the devil.  But, there is more to it than that too.  Submission to God means we do what God guided us in Scripture to do, and being diligent in our work is a huge part of that.  If we manage to do that, then God will make sure we are focused on him and not on the enemy, and thus the enemy is resisted by that mere action.  So, when Satan tries to make you feel depressed because you cannot meet the monthly rent due to a reduction in income, mow the grass.  Mowing the grass, as mundane and routine as it is, in this case does become an instrument of spiritual warfare.  Spiritual warfare then is not just about loudly rebuking evil spirits or performing exorcisms – it has a less mystical and more practical side as well.  If we start maybe viewing meaningful work as a weapon against the enemy, many of us may appreciate it more. 

The same is true of more long-term goals.  Maybe you are pursuing that Ph.D. you always wanted to earn, and God opened up a door to do that.  But, in the course of the four years working on that, you face unemployment, bills piling up, and even opposition from some family members.  Yet, you stay the course and excel in your efforts. When you graduate from your program with that 3.9 GPA, you have won a victory of sorts despite the odds.  And, as a result, the enemy is defeated and the overcoming you experienced out of this whole thing makes the win even more special, as your efforts were worth it.  This is why also you should never give up, despite the circumstances of life.  This too is actually a type of spiritual warfare, as Satan does not want us to succeed nor does he want us to be fulfilled.  Therefore, he throws a lot of garbage at us.  But, when we can dodge the missiles and forge on, we will win in the long run.  Please don’t confuse this with the “blab it and grab it” nonsense of people like Kenneth Copeland either, because it is definitely not the same.  In that type of theology, any adversity is always looked at as “hidden sin” or “lack of faith,” and thus you always have to be farting rainbows to be a true believer in the eyes of characters like Kenneth Copeland.  That is not realistic, nor is it even Biblical.  In many cases, God allows the adversity to strengthen us, and we can view it in that context as a test to see how we overcome those adversities.  Life is not promised to be easy, and you will not always fart rainbows while riding unicorns, despite how many books Joel Osteen sells trying to tell you otherwise.  God often uses adversity – which can come from Satan – to build our personal character, and it can be painful at times for sure.  But, fruit will be produced, and that fruit will be sweet despite the bitterness of adversity.  And, that is why work is a blessing in many instances rather than a curse – work can be a type of salvation (not in the eternal sense that Christ’s Passion represents though) and we may actually be thankful for that one day as well.

This will conclude my thoughts on the issue, and if you are struggling, it is time to utilize true leisure in the sense that Josef Pieper and others write about it and focus your energies on what matters more, not on problems that can cripple you.  In doing the work too, your mind is active, and you may actually get inspiration for a solution to a problem while pushing a lawn mower across your back yard.  Have a good week everyone.