I recently read the results of a study distributed by the University of Virginia which showed that when given the choice, many people preferred to undergo electric shock than to sit alone with their thoughts. In this study, the participants were exposed to a mild shock, which they all reported they didn’t like and were willing to pay money for them to stop. But when left alone in an empty room, with a shocker for up to fifteen minutes, removed by all distractions and unable to check their phones, listen to music, watch TV, two-thirds of the men and one-fourth of the women chose to voluntarily shock themselves rather than sit in silence.
After reading the results, my first thought was, “Yeah, that is about right.” My second thought was, “How sad.” Actually, the more I think about this (it has been seven days since I read the results), the more grief I have. As a whole, I’m convinced, our society has lost its ability to simply be. We over-function, crave stimulus, and fill our day with any and all things so that every minute is occupied, only to discover that it is not fulfilling. Unfortunately, we do this inside the church. Yet, the early Christians were very comfortable with reflective silence, periods of meditation, and solitude.
The goal of following Jesus is a maturation of faith. It is not “believing more in Jesus.” If one believes in Jesus, he or she believes in Jesus. It is a yes or no venture. The finish line, for the Christian, is for the nature of Christ to be formed inside of the believer. This is a heart to hand process. It is an inside out transformation governed by the Holy Spirit’s work. This cannot happen to its fullest extent until one is willing to take a hard look in the mirror. I’m convinced one cannot do this without learning to sit alone and reflect on who they are. So, here is my crazy, off-the-wall thought: Perhaps what is just as important as believing in Jesus is a willingness to resist the temptation to cram your day with stimuli and learn to simply sit quietly with whom you believe. Give it a try.
This week’s readings:
- Monday – 1 Timothy 2
- Tuesday –1 Timothy 3
- Wednesday – 1 Timothy 4
- Thursday – 1 Timothy 5
- Friday – 1 Timothy 6
Please Pray for:
- Our ministers and their families.
- Those who are unwillingly absent.
- The United Methodist Church family.
- Our nation and our leaders.
- The World.
- The Lost.
- The Lives of those touched by the Coronavirus.