What does it feel like to do nothing? I mean really nothing. No demands, no noise, no interruptions, no expectations. That's difficult to imagine—even my leisure time is filled with something: a book, a newspaper, a television program, or a favourite diversion. Seldom do I do absolutely nothing.
In our day and age, the idea of doing nothing appears wasteful, unproductive, and even negligent. There are always needs to be met, expectations to be fulfilled, and there is always something to be done. We are driven to maximize, not minimize, our valued time.
I don't know about you, but there's a risk in buying into the hyperactivity of our fast-paced world that only esteems you when you say you're busy. When asked, “So how are things going?” you rarely hear the response, “I'm doing nothing, in fact I've dedicated time for nothing.”
Perhaps one of the greatest disciplines absent in this life of exponential demands and activity is the discipline of doing nothing.
So what does “nothing” look like? Silence. It's the absence of distraction, expectation, interruption, schedule, manufactured noise, and the torment of a relentless to-do list. And what can “nothing” provide for us? Well, potentially an emptying of self, the release of pent–up emotion, anxiety, stress, and a replenishing of hope, peace, contentment, purpose, and the undisrupted presence of God.
In quietness I set myself aside for God that I might hear from him. Not on my terms, not managed or manufactured, but simply absorbed in His presence.
Andy Park wrote,
In the secret, in the quiet place
In the stillness you are there
In the secret in the quiet hour I wait, only for you
Cause I want to know you more. 1
Take time to wait upon Him. Take time to empty yourself—be still, without agenda, come with nothing, and experience the renewal of your hearts and minds having simply been in the presence of God. Just a thought …
1 The Secret. Copyright 1995 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)
