“Idle hands are the devils workshop, idle lips are his mouthpiece.” – Proverbs 16:27
“There’s nothing worse than a bored man. A bored man is a scary man.” -Matt Chandler
Passivity is the silent killer of the 21st century. We’re all convinced that the “work till you die” work ethic that devoured people just one generation ago will seep into our generation and might just mess with our foolish slogan of our day; “live and let live”.
Is a commitment free life ideal?
We think that if we make intentional plans, pour ourselves into those plans, live lives of discipline and self-management that we will miss out on the fun of being “spontaneous”. As if spontaneity, free time and a commitment free life is somehow the ideal, and if we could just keep our schedules free, then we might somehow be happy.
It’s ironic to me that in America today we are talking about the most entertained generation ever, and simultaneously, the most bored generation ever. The free time and late night movies aren’t delivering life, joy and meaning; they’re simply numbing the soul from one’s core terror…to be alone.
Wasting precious God-given resource…time.
This false dichotomy detracts us from a proper relationship to time which leads to a misuse and abuse of one of our most precious God-given resources…time.
I often tell people that I’m pastoring, that if you want to know what your most passionate, what you love the most, what your hopes and dreams are wrapped up into, you only need to look two places; your TIME and MONEY. When we fail to plan well in these areas, we unknowingly kill our plan in recovery before we even start.
The way to pursue health and addiction recovery is to start managing, planning and leveraging our time for the best things in life, not for the path of least resistance.
When God created Adam and Eve and before sin ever entered the world, he tells them to “subdue”, “rule” and “to have dominion” over the earth. They weren’t sitting around bored trying to past the day away.
They were pouring themselves out for the work of stewarding, working and cultivating God’s peace and Kingdom on earth. To see time (as He intended it to be), is to return to Eden where humans leveraged time to partner with God for Kingdom work.
As you take inventory on your schedule this week, ask yourself a few simple questions; “How much time do I work? Play? Rest? Read? Waste?” The answer to your health, your addiction recovery, your future and the generations to come, hang on the answers of these simple mathematical statements of value.
About the Author: Ryan received his BS in Bible and Theology and a minor in counseling from Multnomah University. He has pastored students, families and is passionate about Christ-centered recovery and healing.
He’s been married to his beautiful wife Michelle for 13 years and they enjoy raising four crazy, unique and special kids together. Ryan is the teaching pastor at Vast Church in Sisters, OR and is currently working on his Masters in Theology at Western Seminary in Portland, OR
He and his partners have created a website that focuses on the community of Central Oregonians. They are committed to sharing the culture, the landscape, the people, the beauty, the opportunities and the overall incredible community that is “The High Desert”. Please visit The High Desert Life.
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Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on March 1, 2016
Published on AddictionHope.com