Breaking Through Spiritual Languish

 

Last month, the world recognized the 1-year anniversary of the start of a global pandemic, where life as we all knew it suddenly came to a screeching halt and our lives would be forever changed. Now after 13 months, the initial shock of a changed lifestyle has faded, and a different feeling has now begun to creep into our day-to-day lives: languishing. Organizational psychologist and best-selling author Adam Grant recently wrote an article for the New York Times that explores this feeling and what we can do about it. Today, we will review its findings and discuss how applicable this also is to believers within the church.

What is Languishing?
To help us understand more about this feeling of “bleh” that we might be experiencing, Grant explains that languishing is “a sense of stagnation and emptiness,” where you’re not experiencing burnout or depression, but instead a feeling that is “somewhat joyless and aimless.” He unpacks this further, highlighting that “when you’re languishing, you might not notice the dulling of delight or the dwindling of drive. You don’t catch yourself slipping slowly into solitude; you’re indifferent to your indifference.” Our work days become affected as our ability to focus slips; our desire to plan any travel with the family fades as we wonder if any bookings or flights made will soon be disrupted by the ebbs and flows of active Covid-19 cases; our friends who we often kept in touch with begin to drift further away as the days melt together and we find ourselves forgetting to call them once again. I was surprised by how much of the article resonated with me as I began to take inventory of my own personal outlook of the current season. And while this all could certainly be noticed within my work and family life, I couldn’t help but also wonder as to how much this was impacting my faith walk as well?

Working Towards Spiritual “Flow”
To help answer the question of what we can do about this feeling of languish, Grant proposes for us to try and work towards a state of “flow” within our personal lives, a concept that he declares as “that elusive state of absorption in a meaningful challenge or a momentary bond, where your sense of time, place and self melts.” In the church, this means that we find an opportunity to utilize our spiritual gifts. Grant adds, “Getting more done isn’t just good for performance at work: We now know that the most important factor in daily joy and motivation is a sense of progress.” This means that despite the heaviness or the disinterest that we may be feeling, we step forward and sign up to serve at that upcoming church event, regardless of the level of languish that we may be currently slogging through. It means we sign up for a small group that commits to meeting on a scheduled basis so that we can support one another and live life together. Or perhaps it could mean that we commit to attending church service more consistently and picking up our Bibles to read once again. Whatever it might be, what is important to acknowledge is that these actions likely won’t start with us wanting to do them; the devil won’t allow such things. After all, he knows that once we start to make moves for the kingdom of God, it will lessen his ability to use this feeling of languish to his advantage. To break out of a state of spiritual languish, the commitment to engage must come first before the desire to engage.

No More Waiting
While much of 2020 felt like a waiting game where we were supposed to ride out the storm until things returned to normal, it is growing increasingly apparent for us to acknowledge that we will not return to the church of 2019. Is this pessimistic to hold such a view? Perhaps. Yet the solidification of a new world ahead is becoming more and more affirmed with each passing day. Similar to how air travel was completely redefined after 9/11/2001, our society’s methods of interacting with each other are also in the process of being redefined and forever changed (whether we like it or not). And while we would not want to fault anyone for their desire to continue waiting for a return to the good ol’ days of 2019, the spiritual reality here is that such a stance could negatively impact to the spiritual growth of those around us. Indeed, the devil absolutely delights in keeping us in a Laodicean state of lukewarmness (Revelation 3:14-17). Breaking out of this state requires intentional effort that we will need to be held accountable to.

To help us progress, Grant encourages us to “try starting with small wins.” Practicing this strategy through the lens of Christianity can be encouraging. Rather than thinking that we can win the war against Satan through our own efforts, we employ the power of the Holy Spirit and focus on winning the skirmish that is front of us. We start with one battle. With each victory notch that we can declare on our spiritual warfare belts, the devil appears weaker and weaker as we look back and see his inability to win over the long haul. This week, take inventory of your mental health. Ask for the Holy Spirit to empower you to put something on your calendar that will move you in the direction of a healthy state of spiritual flow.

“We cannot return to the past, but we can learn how to treasure relationships as ends rather than means, and we can recapture a transcending biblical vision of commitment and community that will make us more human and less controlled by our culture.”
~ Kenneth Boa