the importance of nothing

a verse or two

“Dead flies can make a whole bottle of perfume stink, and a little stupidity can cancel out the greatest wisdom.” Ecclesiastes 10: 1 ”

Spiritual Walk and Musings: The importance of nothing. 

In the video clip we see in church today – the couple grieving find some form of healing in finding a purpose as to why their child died. Finding a sense of purpose is a very strong western worldview – of needing to find purpose in whatever we do or in the events that happen. An example of this is the book by Rick Warren, 40 Days of Purpose – it is hugely popular. But I want to challenge this kind of thinking. In some cultures a person can sit all day, perhaps three days in the shade by the road and watch the world go by and that is not considered a waste of time. In the west we need to learn to have times of no purpose – not even relational purpose. We need to be able to have times of achieving nothing, to learn to just be, and to do nothing......and in that to not even try to hear God – but to just be quiet.........and do nothing.

And in that doing nothing God might speak because finally we are silent and so therefore we can hear. But God might or might not speak and that does not matter; what matters is we do nothing. What matters is we be still to do nothing, not for any reason or sense of achievement. In fact we be still to not even be still – instead we just are still and do nothing.

In that time of doing nothing we might see the pink of a flower that we could have missed by being busy. We might notice the tear in the eye of our neighbour and from that we can offer love – but not right then because right then we need to do nothing. We might smell the air and smile because we are alive and that smell takes us back to a happy memory.........or we might cry because that memory hurts and we miss the person whom we shared that smell with. We might sense nothing and get frustrated at wasting time – why? What is wrong with wasting time? Who made up the rule we should not waste time – could it be they were wrong?

Can I encourage folk of St. David’s to be good at doing nothing? If we cannot be still for a prolonged time and do nothing at all except feel our heart beat and hear our breathing – we probably have emotional health issues and we need to learn to do nothing. What is it you are scared of if you do nothing?

Something to do: Do Nothing.

Just breath and smile with your eyes closed or open.

To Ponder and Pray: Pray a prayer of silence.

Don’t not be Presbyterian and don’t be Presbyterian. Just pray nothing.........be silent.........let your silence pray.........