Coach's Corner

Modern Procrastination…. and Prayer

Posted on 02. Feb, 2010 by markdoebler in Faith, Life

Don’t we all tend to procrastinate?  Maybe that’s just my hope to make me feel better about my own… but it seems to be a pretty universal dilemma.  Yesterday, I came across an interesting post from Seth Godin about modern procrastination.  There’s one thought in particular that really struck me:

Laziness in a white collar job has nothing to do with avoiding hard physical labor. “Who wants to help me move this box!” Instead, it has to do with avoiding difficult (and apparently risky) intellectual labor.

OUCH!  As the church at Second Chance has grown, I must confess that it has gotten harder to make the decisions that earlier came much quicker and easier.  It seems to me that mental fatigue is a growing problem for many of us… and the more mentally fatigued we become, the more we want to delay decision-making.  Which ultimately not only effects us, but those around us in potentially very negative ways.

WHAT ABOUT PRAYER?

I think this may be another reason that prayer in the modern church has become such a challenge.  Prayer, in contrast to many other ministry efforts, is really mental.  It’s is engaging our mind, soul and spirit with that of God’s.  It takes focus and commitment.  As such, perhaps far too many Christians see it as another mentally draining process rather than the refilling that actually comes from it.

If you’re struggling with prayer… and that means about 99% of you reading this… then evaluate whether it is the mental energy required for prayer that you don’t feel like you have to give.  If so, reframe your image of prayer from a process that takes out of you to one that refuels you and energizes you.  Prayer is a vital part of a vibrant Christian life…. let’s plug back into the Source.

Tags: Prayer