It was a monastery on the top of a hill on a foggy, rainy afternoon in the Pacific Northwest. Just the monks, a spiritual coach, and me for three whole days – a silent retreat. I was excited yet nervous. What would I say to myself?! What would life be like without my phone?! Could I exist without checking the news cycle or answering family group texts with grandchildren pictures? I arrived at the front door and put down my bags as a brown-robed monk greeted me, “Are you here for the silent retreat?” I nodded, not sure if I was allowed to utter spoken words. He showed me to my room which to my surprise contained more than a wooden bed and chair. Whew! Silence and I were about to be better acquainted.
Too often I drive forward, make things happen, move on from one thing to the next with no space to process. Why bother thinking too long! It seems the whole culture is going at a breakneck pace.
Turns out that leaders need time to think and God is a raving fan of silence, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). The late author and philosopher Dallas Willard once was asked, “What do I need to do to become the me I want to be?” After a long silence, which was characteristic of Dr. Willard, he answered, ”You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” Dallas did not say, read these 10 books, attend this weekend seminar, listen to my podcast, read your bible more, attend fewer movies. He said RUTHLESSLY ELIMINATE HURRY. According to the story, the young mentee asked Willard, “What else do I do?” Dallas answered, “There is nothing else. Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day.” Boom! The end! No more to say! Stop the presses! Slow down! Stop running!
The Business Insider website says we touch our phones 2,617 times a day for about 2.5 hours of total use over 76 sessions. Through our electronic devices, we are connected to infinite knowledge and we can say happy birthday to people we haven’t seen in a decade. We can read news of places we will never go, read stories of the lives of ‘friends’ we don’t actually know and laugh at jumping cat videos, yet we’re missing out on the people right in front of our eyes. Last night at dinner in a restaurant, I watched a family of six celebrating a birthday. Five out of six of them were looking at their phones and not talking to each other.
Pastor John Mark Comer writes in his book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, “if you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus.” Comer goes on to note that Jesus got up early and went to a quiet place to be with his Father. Jesus took time to get away from crowds. He sometimes slept in. He enjoyed long meals with friends and had long conversations about life, and finally, he practiced a day a week called Sabbath where he did what he loved, worshipped God, and rested.
If your life is a bit short on thinking, silence, or rest, take some time today to think, process, let your brain think on its own, and listen in the stillness for God’s voice. I know it’s hard for some of us. Start with turning off the music, turning off the radio, turning off the podcast, and listen to what you might discover in the silence. If that makes you nervous, just try it for five minutes. Life will wait as you reflect.
I’m pretty sure Jesus would actually own a computer and a phone if he were on earth today and he just might post on social media or text his friends his thoughts. I’m also sure He would live a life that is not rushed or hurried. I think that as he became aware of our deadline pressures, He would want to be sure we were making time with Him a priority and He’d send us a message. Maybe He’d post or text these thoughts …
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
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About the Author
GREG LEITH
Greg Leith is the CEO of Convene. He was born in Canada and lived in all four corners of North America. His career spans over 35 years of senior leadership roles in corporate, non-profit and academic sectors. Recently, he served as Director of Strategic Alliances for 13 years at Biola University in California.