In reading Allen Arnold’s deceptively short blog, Operating Below Capacity,* I found what my soul had been looking for.
It was invitation from the Holy Spirit to slow down already.
I’ve been slowing down for a while now, or attempting to at least. I may be succeeding a little: Arnold’s blog took me about twenty minutes to read! That was because I was digesting his words, savouring them like chocolate, letting them lazily melt on my tongue. It satisfied a deep craving in my life. It really hit the spot.
For the last couple of years, I have been chipping away at the relentless hurry inside my brain by taking intentional daily time to be still. In those moments, I am not praying, nor picturing a beautiful place, nor running worship songs through my head. I am only breathing, noticing the sounds outside my window, and letting myself bathe in God’s love.
God is love.
God loves me.
God’s love is near to me.
God loves me when I am doing nothing.
God loves me when I am useless.
God is love…
This is a bigger deal than it sounds. As a (recovering) perfectionist, I am constantly inviting myself into a state of hurry. I tell myself I have to do more and be more. I need to get things done more quickly and efficiently so I can move on to the next thing. I need to be everything to everyone. The lie of the Perfectionist is that if I get everything done, then I can relax properly.
Problem is, there is a neverending list of things to be done, and I will never reach the end of that list. Which means I am constantly running myself into the ground, chasing the elusive moment of finishing and relaxing. Which means burnout.
I need to slow down. And accept that not everything can be done.
Many of us can benefit from slowing down. Our society highly esteems productivity and therefore busyness, and most people, when I ask how they’re doing, say, ‘Busy.’ We are perpetually ‘on’, contactable by phone, email and social media. What if we took a countercultural step and stopped, not just once, but on a regular basis?
Because we’ll look lazy. People will call us lazy. Perhaps we’ll tell ourselves we’re being lazy too. But let me ask this. What is so wrong with being lazy? The word ‘lazy’ is negatively loaded, and people often use it to criticise, label and judge someone. And yes, being perpetually lazy can cause problems, physically, financially and relationally.
But what if—hear me out—being lazy in moderation is not only OK, but actually good for us?
We already endorse laziness in the form of holidays and weekend sleep-ins. Surely more regular ‘laziness’ is not such a bad thing. Especially in the context of today’s hurried and harried culture. And especially for those of us still recovering from the devastating effects of perfectionism.
I hope that today, in some fashion, you can enjoy the sweet laziness of basking in God’s love.
Do you find it hard to stop and relax? What helps you hit the pause button? How can you allow the love of God to meet you and refresh you today? Share your story. Let’s have a countercultural conversation.
*Here is the original blog from Allen Arnold: https://www.withallen.com/blog/operating-below-capacity