Throughout many times in my life, I’ve tried looking for direction. I had to make some sort of difficult decision, or do something I despised, or maybe I was just confused and looking for guidance.
Usually, I struggle through these kinds of things. Up until recently, I couldn’t really think of why… it just never crossed my mind. I just assumed every time I tried, I sucked at making decisions. This kind of thinking sets us up for constant failure.
Instead of just giving up, I needed to step back from the situation, and apply a bit of logic. I know that God’s direction for my life can be discerned, albeit if God is willing to show me. But I had become so accustomed to failing, I got to the point where I quit trying.
Then, thanks to the Art of Manliness, I discovered the story of Sergeant Alvin C. York, someone whom I’d never heard of before.
In short, Sgt. York was a hero of World War 1, but almost didn’t go. He was a devoutly religious man, and actually had no desire to go to war: he was a pacifist, based on his understanding of the Bible’s teachings. But he was forced to reconcile his faith with reality, and in the process of reading his amazing story, I saw what I had been missing.
To be able to discern direction in life, it takes concentration. Not the kind of concentration that lets you drive and talk at the same time; it requires solitude. I wasn’t sure about this, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was true.
In fact, I came to realize that I’m never alone in today’s world. I’m always surrounded by communication and input. Phone calls. Co-workers. Twitter. Email. Radio. Netflix. Family. Even when I’m sleeping, I’m not alone!! We’re always connected.
But after a 3-day campout in rural Mississippi, where I was sleeping alone in a tent too small for me to even sit up in, I realized that solitude really does help me figure things out. It helps me listen. It helps me think through things, and process them without the impending distractions.
I could just sit and think. It was incredible. I had nothing else to do. Even my phone didn’t have reception! There was nothing to distract me from just thinking.
And thus, I was able to see first-hand the kind of solitude Sergeant York experienced. The clarity of mind, the ability to really explore a stream of thought, and come up with actual solutions. Surprisingly (or maybe not) our minds achieve the ability to process information in logical steps, and can dig up long-stored information in your mind’s memory banks.
In short, when you allow your brain to use most of its CPU cycles on problems (and not distractions), it can solve them faster.
Of course, I’m immediately reminded of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he went alone to pray and think. This allowed him to make the most important decision in his life!
We, as a people, have forgotten what it means to invite peace and calm into our lives. Even on our “sabbath” days, we never stop. Going to church, dealing with friends/family, going eat, scheduling the upcoming week’s activities… it just never stops. But if we take time to reflect and meditate, we find that there’s plenty of benefit. We might not be able to check something off of our to-do list, but we will have the presence of mind to get more done.
Slow down. Think. Pray. Use your brain for something other than input/output, and spend time working on problems and thoughts. Then, when the time comes for wisdom in that area, you’ll have given it some time, and won’t have to make a rash decision on the spot.