Heart to Heart

July 18, 2017
I remember being told as a teenager 45 years ago that the purpose of more and more technology was to free up our time so that we could focus on the important things and enjoy life. But, just the reverse has happened. We are much more distracted by the world around us.

Henri Nouwen puts our state of mind more bluntly: “We move through life in such a distracted way that we do not even take the time and rest to wonder if any of the things we think, say or do are worth thinking, saying or doing.”

Christian spirituality never happens by accident. The thing about cultivating a vital spirituality is that it takes prayer, solitude, reflecting on great works on the subject—it requires a less distracted life.

We should be brutally honest with ourselves and ask the big question: Could it be that busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness? How can your life possibly be silly or trivial or meaningless if you are so busy, constantly checking your phone, occupying every minute of the day?

When the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:12, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me,” he is calling us to the same goal to which he was called. Amidst our constant distractions, this is the focal point. Then he spells it out in Philippians 4:8: “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.”

These qualities are difficult to hold and handle probably because they don’t come naturally to us. But they are building blocks for the foundation of a life lived within the life of God. Again, Paul urges “press on to take hold” of them.

Put the cell phone and the computer in another room and close the door behind you. No music. No TV. No noise. Without the tyranny of the immediate, you can allow yourself to discover and invest fully in the truth about God’s life in you.

— Dr. D.H. Williams
Professor of Religion in Patristics and Historical Theology