So, what to do with my languishing? Admit it. William Carey, I am defective in all duties. In prayer, I wander and I'm formal.
I soon tire. Devotion languishes and I do not walk with God. That would be an entry in my journal. Every so often.
Just like you. I had a dear friend tell me the past week that the pandemic has led to a languished, personal and relational life for him. He's still in tip-top shape as a runner, physically, but the loss of personal joy and even marital connection have been quite significant this past year and a half. I offered to help him through this particular time as others have journeyed with me and helped me in my own days of challenge.
Albert Camus, when the body is sad, the heart languishes. Whether it is in one area or your entire system experiencing languishing, that feeling of blah, now is a good time to address it before it moves towards the darker or more extreme side of the spectrum, towards depression or even despair. Deal with it and deal with it now. Adam Grant talks about flow to counter languishing, getting lost in an activity that relaxes you but not distracts you.
Getting into flow keeps you moving in a positive way as water does in literally a live stream. Not the Dead Sea, which is languaged for thousands of years. And now in a crisis, as water continues to recede with not enough natural water inflow to keep it from eventually emptying itself. So how do we flow?
Let me give you four quick suggestions. Number one, find the languishing source. Diagnose it and work your way towards healing Whether it physical emotional mental spiritual We still live in a world that normalizes physical health challenges said Adam Grant but stigmatizes mental health challenges If that is the source of language, acknowledge it. But first, you gotta find it.
Number two, let your passions take over for an uninterrupted period. As we said earlier, relaxing, not distracting you. Painting, for example. Playing with a child.
Mindful walks. Exercise. Stop focusing. I tell my friends and my audiences on being patient, for example, on being patient alone.
Pour out into your passion and relieve yourself and others of stress. Ang patience kasi nagpipigil. Pagpasion bumubuhos. Number three, open yourself to community.
George Bernard Shaw said this, I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work, the more I live. Are you getting the word behind this?
F, find a languishing source. L, let your passions take over. O, open yourself to community. And of course, W, right?
Work on small wins. Sometimes just showing up is victory. Or standing your ground. In Ephesians 6 verse 14, having done all, stand.
Work on small wins. and allow the flow, F-L-O-W, flow into a flourish. You are able. Matt McGandy, let's close with these words.
The main purpose of life is to live rightly, think rightly, act rightly. The soul must languish when we give all our thought to the body.