WEDNESDAY'S WORD - ACEDIA - Sadell Bradley - 12/2/2020

WEDNESDAY'S WORD ACEDIA Sadell Bradley 12/2/2020 "Writing is the process of finding something to distract you from writing, and of all the helpful distractions—adultery, alcohol, and acedia, all of which aided our writing fathers—none can equal the internet." - Adam Gopnik - American Writer One of the readers of this blog thanked me the other day by saying, "this type of writing combats acedia." I thought, you've just given me my next word. ACEDIA is spiritual or mental sloth; apathy; or listlessness. Some of you have seen the scene in the movie Zootopia with "Flash" the Sloth. If you haven't, click and view it for a great laugh. Acedia—spiritual laziness or reluctance make an effort, is no laughing matter. Many of us have allowed our spiritual vitality to wane in 2020. No judgment, we miss gathering, singing and learning together, hugs and greetings with holy kisses, all big parts of the culture of the New Testament Church. It's difficult to engage spiritual life through your TV, tablet, or phone, and not in person. In case you've forgotten, there are tremendous benefits to even a few minutes in the Word and presence of God —joy, peace, calm, centering, guidance and refreshing. ACEDIA is DISTRACTION Sometimes acedia is born out of apathy about the things of God, and not just laziness. As the quote above suggests, the internet is one of the greatest culprits to our distracted and disinterested state. Our souls require comfort. We choose to find it in news coverage, in our favorite TV show, in sports contests, or through the diversion of memes and videos on social media. Our good Father, the Creator of the Universe, doesn't seem to be as interesting as all this other stuff. In John 4, Jesus encountered a Samaritan woman at a well. She was literally drawing water for her sustenance, but her figurative choice to satiate the desire of her empty soul was the company of men. She had tried several, but her thirst for love, attention, affection and care was not quenched. As the weather changes, what they call 'cuffing season,' the time of year when people couple up for convenience, begins. Distractions abound and can become idols—substitutes for worship that cause us to lose our focus on, and honor of God. Jesus gave this woman a beautiful metaphor on the satisfaction that is found God, "Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life...But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way." (John 4:13-14; 23) Acedia, like most things boils down to a matter of worship and identity. Who we are, whose we are, and whom we will serve. There is no one, and nothing more satisfying than Christ! An Opportunity for Delight The spiritual antonym to acedia is delight. Psalm 1:1-3 informs us that the blessed person does not follow the advice of the wicked, nor stand around with sinners, or join with mockers. The blessed person delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night. This brings them into a great level of stability, akin to a fruitful tree that always successfully produces and is profitable. Psalm 37 admonishes us to, "Make God the utmost delight and pleasure of your life, and he will provide for you what you desire the most." (v.4) The concept is that if we're pliable in God's hands, He will give us what we ought to desire. This is the antidote to acedia.