Thursday, April 26, 2018

The Path of Discipleship - Stewardship and the Mind


As I mentioned in a previous article, the split between the body and mind (or body and soul) that has defined the church’s understanding of human life is a false division that comes out of Greek philosophy.  More and more, neuroscience points to the connection between body and mind.  For instance, what people experience as feeling stress is the body reacting to the mind at work. You think about unpaid bills or an impossible to-do list, especially thinking about the possible consequences of failing to pay those bills or finish that list, and the body reacts by preparing for a “fight or flight” type response.  The heart rate increases.  The digestive system slows down.  Several hormones, such as cortisol, begin to course through the body.  Yet the threat is not real.  We are imagining what could happen and that is enough to put this physical process in motion.

                Nevertheless, I want to spend a little time writing about stewardship of the mind (or perhaps stewardship of the brain) as a separate category of stewardship.  On the one hand, many of the things that are good for the body are good for the brain.  Exercise, rest and a healthy diet help the brain function as a part of the body.  Stewardship of the body is a part of stewardship of the mind.

                We also know that the brain is far more complex and needs its own attention as a gift from God.  The brain is that wonderful creation that processes all of the information that our body encounters.  It is the container of our memories and the center of learning.  It is in many ways the center of our self.  It can also be the source of many problems.  What we call worry is a recurring thought, replaying itself in our synapses.  In various mental illnesses, the brain misfires and misbehaves.  Then there are the issues we associate with aging, where connections come more slowly or even begin to break down.  Names escape us and memories are fleeting.

                Each mind is unique, a part of what makes you a unique individual.  We process the world differently.  We respond to stimuli differently.  For instance, most people have some kind of emotional reaction to music, that impulse to tap your feet and clap along, leading to talk of music as a universal language.  But it is now estimated that 3-5% of the population, myself included, have a condition known as “music specific anhedonia.”  It is not that we can’t understand music.  It just doesn’t make much of an impact.  For me, music can be a helpful distraction to drown out other noise, but I don’t miss it if it is not playing.  This can be especially difficult in worship settings where music is a fundamental part of how people encounter the divine.  Those who can’t imagine worship without music are not wrong for their love of music, nor are those who find little power in music wrong for that reaction.  It is simply a reflection of the unique nature of our minds.

                I suppose that is part of what draws me to contemplative prayer, encountering God is silence.  One of the initial aspects of working with silence is becoming aware of how your brain is generating a constant background of thought.  Zen Buddhists refer to this as “monkey mind.”  When you stop and pay attention you realize that there are many loosely connected thoughts buzzing around in your brain.  You think about what you should be doing.  You wonder about choices you made in the past.  You think about what you are going to do in the future.  You wonder how long you have been sitting there in silence and how much longer you should.  You wonder about the dog that is barking in the distance.  Does it see a deer?  Are there deer in this forest?  I haven’t seen a deer here but I did all the time when I was in Michigan.  Michigan is a great state with nice beaches.  At night time, you can look across Lake Michigan and see a haze of lights from Milwaukee and other places in Wisconsin.  Wisconsin has good cheese…Monkey mind.

                I have found mindfulness, meditation and contemplative prayer to be essential practices for the stewardship of my own mind.  They are practices that allow the mind to settle.  You learn to notice your thoughts and, importantly, let go of recurring or unwanted thoughts.  You become aware that thoughts are like cars driving by your house.  Unless you go out and stop them, they pass by, their noise fading into nothing.  These practices take time and some level of discipline.  The benefits are not immediate, but build with regular practice.

                The other aspect of mental stewardship I would encourage is learning.  We live in an age where there are amazing resources for learning.  Yet many adults leave learning to the young.  Often there is an attitude that if something doesn’t further one’s career or earn money, it isn’t worth the time.  Why learn to play the piano when you are not going to be a professional musician?  Why learn a language if you aren’t going to travel somewhere soon?  Why study a science if you are not a professional scientist?  Why study the Bible when all you need is Psalm 23 and John 3:16?  Learn for the joy of learning, for the “Aha!” moments and the instances of “I never did that before.” 

                For example, there is some debate about the need for seminary students to study the original Hebrew and Greek of the Bible.  Professional scholars have produced excellent translations.  In many ways pastoral ministry has been shifting from a scholarly model to a service-oriented model.  Some argue that the study is not worth the time.  Yet I still remember the moment when I was walking by a synagogue in Chicago and I realized I knew the meaning of what had previously been, for lack of a better phrase, Hebrew squiggles.  I was and am by no means an expert in biblical Hebrew, but I remember the sense that a new part of the world had opened up to me, new connections were being made.  These moments shape the mind and keep the mind in shape.

                Your brain is a gift and, as with all the gifts of God, you are encouraged to enjoy that gift but also to care for it.  Use your mind to that for which it was made, to make something beautiful, continuing God’s process of creation.  Be still.  Pay attention.  Be engaged.  Learn something new.  Be creative.  Make something beautiful.

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