Soul Sculpting Practice #2: Pray a little, Work a Little — Repeat

Soul Sculpting for Lent 2021

Seven Ancient Christian Practices for Connecting with God

It’s around the year AD 260. Anthony is sitting in his hermit cave deep in the Egyptian desert. It’s dry. The ground is dry, the air is dry, Anthony is dry. He is frustrated by continual negative thoughts. His mind feels like a sewer. And Anthony also has a bad case of acedia. 

Acedia: Listless, restless, boredom, sloth. 

It is a disease that monks know well.  Especially when they are spending hours in prayer. Evagrius (AD 345-399) called acedia the “demon of noontide”.  “Is it time for lunch, yet?” Peter Damian (b. AD 1007 ) calls it “heaviness of the eyelids”. ” I need a little nap”. We might experience acedia as, “I wonder what’s happening in my _____________(name any social media).” 

Sitting alone in his cave Anthony desperately turns to God for help. “How can I be saved from this tedious case of acedia and my constant sewer thoughts?”

Anthony gets up and when he steps outside he’s startled to see a man sitting in his work spot plaiting rope. The man looks a lot like Anthony. 

After a while the man stands up from his work and begins to pray. Then after having prayed the man returns to his seat to plait more rope.  Anthony gazes as this pattern of seated work and standing prayer repeats over and over. 

“This is no human,” Anthony thinks. “This is an angel sent from God to show me what to do!” 

Then the angel looks right at Anthony and says, “Do this and you will be saved.”

After this encounter Anthony had joy and courage. He followed the angel’s directions and was saved. 

Soul Sculpting Project: Pray a little, Work a Little — Repeat

1. Select a work task (e.g. answering emails)
2. Set a timer or decide on logical pause points (e.g. 15 min or after every other email)
3. Change posture when you change from work to prayer (e.g. sit for emails, stand for prayer)
4. Work a little, pray a little. Repeat.

God designed us to thrive when we put a variety of activities into our day.

Our bodies thrive when our days include both active movement and rest. To be nourished, our bodies need a variety of foods. Our minds also thrive with days of varied activities. Interpersonal Neurobiologists have created a recommended daily activity diet for optimum mental health.

This activity diet has Seven Essential Mental Nutrients.

1. Focus time: When we focus closely on tasks in a goal oriented way and take on challenges that make deep connections in our brains.
2. Play time: When we are spontaneous or creative, playfully enjoying novel experiences, new connections in our brains are created.
3. Connecting Time: Connecting with other people, connecting with the natural world, and connecting with God activates and reinforces our brain’s relational circuitry.
4. Physical Time: When we move our bodies, aerobically if possible, we strengthen our brain in many ways.
5. Time In: Internal quiet reflection and meditation helps integrate our brains.
6. Down Time: Being non-focused, letting our mind wander and relax helps our brain recharge.
7. Sleep Time: By giving our brains rest we consolidate learning, embed memories, and recharge. 

Gratitude for:The Healthy Mind Platter, Dr. Daniel Siegel and David Rock 

I use this seven nutrient list to examine my days. I am especially on the look-out for missing nutrients.  Lately I notice that I tend to be strong on focus time, I’m improving on physical time, but I am often weak on play time and down time. 

When you look at your day, what nutrients are you strong in? Any nutrients on the low side? 

Adding variety to his prayer schedule helped Anthony’s mental health. He gained more control of his negative thought patterns and he overcame his bad case of acedia.

Where is God inviting you to add variety?