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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