Many Christians today live with an unconscious acceptance of a dangerous myth. We view the pace of our lives as the primary roadblock to a meaningful spiritual life. We tell ourselves: “If only my life were simpler, slower, less complicated, then I could be the person God wants me to be. Then I would have time to serve other people the way I know God wants me to. Then I’d have time to pray and read the Bible more often.”
We think about people who lived years ago – they seemed so much more saintly back then. We make assumptions about what life was like for our ancestors. We assume that it was easier to be close to God in the “Little House on the Prairie” days. They didn’t have pagers, cell phones, computers, PTA conferences, and soccer practices. They had time back then to devote to the spiritual life, right? And if we could just find a way to simplify and slow the pace of our lives (so the thinking goes), then we would develop meaningful lives of devotion and service to God, just like they did.
Every few months someone comes to me and says, “Boy I wish I could win the lottery, because if I did, I’d give half the money the church.” I always appreciate that sentiment, but I know that’s all it is: sentiment. Chances are, neither you nor I are going to win the lottery. So the real issue is, what are we doing with the resources that we have right now? What if you never win the lottery? What can you do to honor God with the resources you do have? That’s the issue.
The same thing is true with our time. Here’s a scary and sobering question, an important one for people who put off spiritual development because of their busy lives:
What if things never slow down?
What if your life never gets any less busy, any less complicated than it is right now? How will you sustain your relationship with God? How will you grow in your faith? How will you be able to live with a sense of peace and joy and compassion for the people around you, given the realities of high-velocity 21st century life?
Let’s make it harder: What if the pace of your life speeds up? What if you are busier in the future than you are now?
Instead of offering the simplistic advice that slowing down and simplifying your life is the spiritual panacea for busy people, pastors and other spiritual teachers today need to help people re-tool. We need to help you equip yourself to live the spiritual life in the midst of your responsibilities, in the midst of your work, in the midst of your sense of overload.
Please understand that slowing down and simplifying certain aspects of your life may indeed be part of the solution for you. Maybe our lives are crowded with things that shouldn’t be there, and simplifying some of that clutter would be a big help. But the issue is bigger. The way to spiritual vitality is not through escaping the realities of our overloaded world, but instead to meet God there.
In 2 Peter 1:3 we read that “[Christ’s] divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” Through Christ, it says, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness – everything we need to live a genuine, godly, spiritual life. Do you believe that is true for today? Is it true for busy people like you? Or is it only true for people in past generations who “had time for spiritual things?”
I genuinely believe it this passage is as true for busy 21st century people as it was for those in any previous generation. In subsequent columns I’ll explore some of the specific shifts needed to live meaningfully spiritual lives in the midst of overload. But for now, one important affirmation needs to be made: it is possible!