Last week, after writing ¾ of a totally uninspiring article about neuro-linguistics, I realized it would be best to let the Behind the Scene take Thanksgiving off like the rest of America. This morning I thought about last week’s dud of an article and hoped I could produce something more palatable for our faithful readers; however, nothing came. “Egad!” I thought to myself, “could I already be suffering from writer’s block?” There is nothing more aggravating and horrifying to wannabe microbloggers like myself than writer’s block (I use the term “microblogger” because real bloggers never seem to be short on words).
And then I was saved by a thought: What if writing about my writer’s block is the perfect remedy to cure me of writer’s block! It’s the same sound logic I’ve used most of my life to conquer the dreaded “lull.” I know you are probably—or possibly not—wondering what “The Lull” is, so let me digress and tell you about it, and then we will get back on topic.
It is a semi-scientific fact that a lull (aka awkward pause) happens every seven minutes within a conversation. If not navigated correctly, a lull can be the turning point at which a good date goes bad; a business deal dies; and a lively party ends at 8:00. Ever since I learned this factoid I have been on a quest to conquer the lull by talking about the lull in order to get the conversation back on track, thus saving the world from bad dates, dead business deals, and the shame of hosting a dull party. The beauty of this is that when everyone is aware of “The Lull” you don’t even have to explain it to defeat it. You just look at one another, nod your heads, and say, “There’s the lull.” Usually someone hates “The Lull” conversation so much he or she will do anything to avoid hearing about it, which is good too because the end result is the same: “The Lull” is defeated… or at the very least it is made powerless to ruin something good. Now that you are fully educated in conquering “The Lull,” the rest of this article should make sense.
If writing about my writers block in order to have something to write about produces another article on par with the ¾ finished neuro-linguistics flop, I have wasted everyone’s time. If it amused you, at the very least, you could liken this article to an episode of Seinfeld: entertaining (perhaps), but truly about nothing. However, like a good conversation that flows freely after defeating “The Lull,” there is more! (Warning: here’s the part where this article takes a serious turn).
The logic behind “The Lull” can be applied not just to those moments when we are short on words, but to our spiritual lives as well. So often when our spiritual life begins to hit a low and we find our passion for Jesus waning, we retreat into a solitude that only empowers our despair. Don’t believe me? Then when is the last time you told someone, or someone told you, that you or they felt crummy at church, that it’s a semi-miracle that you/they are even there? Usually despite how we feel we bottle our feelings in, crack a smile, and say, “I’m good.” Granted 90% of the time people don’t really want to know how you are when they ask “How are you?” But that is for another article on another day.
What if exposing our pain, our doubts, and/or our frustrations is the very cure to healing? Like talking or not talking about “The Lull,” ignoring it doesn’t mean it is not there, but maybe acknowledging it, bringing it into the open, renders it powerless. It lifts our souls to know that we are not alone, to hear the words “me too,” to be prayed for by someone who really does care. So the next time you find yourself without words or swallowed by feelings that are more easily kept inside, do yourself a huge favor… talk about it.
Just a thought,
Jason
Ecclesiastes 9-12
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.