Flow

“…a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.” Ecclesiastes 3:5 NIV

“Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day. To the last syllable of recorded time; and all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle. Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” William Shakespeare, Macbeth

Around 100 years ago I took a class in high school called “The Bard of Avon.” In it, we read and discussed the work of William Shakespeare, all of it. Our textbook was about six inches thick. Fortunately, we had a teacher we called Dr. J. He made everything interesting. One of my classmates played the lead part in every theater production and he was talented. I sat right next to him in class. I still laugh at the difference between his version of reading as though he was on stage in costume compared to the rest of us.

Oddly, I have been thinking about the line from Macbeth, “Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day.” I don’t know about you, but life does not seem to be creeping in a petty pace. Life is flying at a rate I would like to slow down. Our granddaughter turns one year old next week. I am having a hard time imagining this. At the same time, she has been here my entire life and she just got here.

Slightly less than 100 years ago I attended grad school at the University of Arkansas – go Hogs! While there we read a book called “Psychological studies of flow in consciousness” by Mihaly Csikszenmihalyi. I still have it. It took a semester to learn how to pronounce his name, but it is just like it’s spelled.

In his book, he discussed the concept of what he called flow. His concept was simple. If a person is participating in a softball league and you are the one who is organizing that league, your goal is for them to experience flow. To do this, skill levels of opponents have to be somewhat similar and distractions like poorly trained officials or poorly maintained fields need to be minimized.

If done correctly, the experience of a single game can turn into an entire day. In other words, you will start to think about the game earlier. You will be more likely to anticipate a positive experience. During the game you may lose track of time – what he calls flow. I am sure you have experienced this. You look at the clock thinking it will be around a certain time and realize it’s much later than you thought. You got immersed in an activity and lost track of the consciousness of time. Flow.

I have a theory that this can happen in your faith walk and have an impact on your entire life. If you show up to church with your heart prepared before you walk in the door you will be more likely to connect with Jesus while there. If you prepare your heart for worship before you arrive, the worship team does not have to pick the perfect songs to engage your heart. They are not putting on a concert, they are worshipping. If I come prepared to hear from my Savior, the preacher does not have to deliver the perfect message. Jesus can speak to my heart through an imperfect messenger if I come prepared to hear.

If you are bored in a general sense, maybe your skill level is not matched correctly with your life. In this case you may need to challenge yourself or embrace something. Read a book. Take a class. Engage friends or make new some new friends. If you are waiting on your job to be fulfilling it may be a long wait. Maybe you can learn a new skill or get better at an old one. Maybe apply for a different job. If none of those things are possible, explore a new hobby.

If your life is frantic and your head is spinning from the pace maybe make a change. Say no once in a while, or refrain from embracing. Cut some things out, even for one day. Physical fatigue requires rest. Spiritual fatigue can be energized much more quickly by simply engaging the Savior. Read the bible or read it slower. Attend a bible study. If you cannot find one, host one. You will not find one perfect interpreter of scripture teaching a bible study. You do not have to be one either. Just talk to people about what you read. There are also about 10 million studies to choose from online.

Marriages can become idle just out of habit. Change them. Go on a date with your spouse. Turn off the television and visit. Have a cup of coffee and sit. You can connect with another person without saying a word just by mutual willingness. Be willing.

Does your life challenge you enough?

Is your life too challenging or unmanageable?

Challenge: To embrace or not to embrace. Life is too beautiful to tolerate being bored with it. Life is too short to miss it happening all around you.

Rick Claiborn