De-cluttering the mind

“… And give my son Solomon an uncluttered and focused heart so that he can obey what you command, live by your directions and counsel, and carry through with building The Temple for which I have provided.” (1 Chronicles 29:19 The Message) 

I have been challenged this past week to pray for an uncluttered and focused heart. I even posted that prayer as a Facebook update. In the verse above, King David was praying about a particular role which God had in mind for Solomon. David would have dearly loved to have done it himself. The task was to build an impressive temple for the worship of God. My goals are much less lofty.

Perhaps God is answering my prayer, just the same. ‘De-cluttering’ is a theme which keeps cropping up these past few days.

Order

I admire people who live ordered and disciplined lives. I want to be like them. Until I have to work closely with them, that is. “Give me back a bit of creative chaos,” I mutter to myself when constrained to work on projects one step at a time, “… or I shall go quite, quite mad.”  

God has made us all differently.  As we work together, each living according to who she was created to be, we are called to ‘bear with one another in love’ (Colossians 4:2). When my super-ordered friends insist on strict structure and stress about uncertainties, I understand exactly what Paul meant by ‘bearing with one another in love.’ 

Although I am comfortable with a modicum of mayhem in my life, I need to knuckle down and focus these next few weeks. I have a couple of big deadlines looming. Perhaps that is why I have been thinking about clutter this week. Or, more to the point, perhaps that’s why our Lord has brought it to my attention. 

Cluttered homes

‘Declutter your home … now.’  The advertisements for an online decluttering course in my social media newsfeed are appealing. The truth is that when I declutter my pantry, fridge, freezer, wardrobe or drawers, I become aware of, value and use what is there. 

But I don’t have time to enrol in a programme or accept another challenge just now. My calendar is too cluttered.

Cluttered calendars

Why do I find myself with five commitments in a day? “It’s high priority,” I explain regarding each. But how many ‘high priorities’ can one have? Does ‘busyness’ make me feel needed? Valued? Important? Significant?  

What would happen if I declined an invitation to participate in a discussion, complete a translation project, attend a meeting or teach a class? What if I said ‘No’ to opportunities that are good, but which detract my attention from other commitments that are even better? 

Cluttered minds

Cluttered minds are surely a symptom of the age of the mobile phone. Always connected to everything and everyone, with dings, bells and whooshes alerting us to this or that, our attention is scattered, to put it mildly. 

While working on one project, I turn my attention to a small detail. I look it up on the internet, at which point, something else grabs my attention.Before I know it, I find myself off task, tempted by tantalising tangents. 

Modern responses

Mindfulness apps, meditation workshops, measuring brainwaves through semi-medical devices – all these are reasonable responses to this chronic problem of mental clutter. 

In Melbourne, at least, Western Buddhists are quick to pick up on this modern malaise and offer suggestions for dealing with it. I wish that we Christians would do better at tapping into this felt need in society, drawing on our rich heritage of Christian meditation.

One of my favourite ‘hacks’ to help me focus is the ‘pomodero technique’ . It’s a fancy name, but simply requires a kitchen timer and enough discipline to focus for 25 minutes at a time.

On my iPad, I have samples of seven intriguing books I want to read on how to knuckle down and focus … but have yet to knuckle down and focus and read them. 

An ancient perspective

A cluttered mind is perhaps a more pressing issue for the average modern person than it has ever been in history. Ancient truths about managing our minds are as true as when they were first recorded and perhaps more relevant than ever.

I’ve written before about the topic of meditation and how it is a theme throughout Scripture, usually in the context of meditating on God. I’ve dabbled in the life-giving practice of ‘contemplative prayer’ and blogged about that here too. There is plenty of teaching – explicit and implicit – in the Bible for us to know that we all have different roles in God’s kingdom work. We need not, and should not, attempt to be and do everything for everyone all the time.

Right now, as I find myself in another particularly busy patch of life (despite my resolve not to have a ‘busy’ mindset), I am reminded afresh of the need to commit my days to the Lord and ask for his help.

King David prayed that his son, Solomon, the newly coronated king, would have ‘an uncluttered and focused heart’. The purpose of this prayer was so that Solomon could (a) obey God and live according to his ways, and (b) get on with the particular job that God had given him. 

May that be our prayer too. May God give us ‘uncluttered and focused hearts’. The purpose of this prayer is NOT so that we can do or be the impossible. On the contrary, we ask for uncluttered and focused hearts so that we can (a) obey God and live according to his ways, and (b) get on with the job that God has given us.

And so…

Personally, I sense that regular writing projects are one of the tasks which God has given me. Even if nobody else were to read this piece on cluttered minds, the process of thinking and praying through it has been helpful.

A little bit of chaos feels creative. But not clutter. That’s detracting. It would be nice to de-clutter my home and my calendar … after my deadlines have been met, of course. Perhaps, though, the immediate challenge is to de-clutter my mind. 

For that, all I need is the Holy Spirit and a little discipline. Everything else will flow out of it.