Habits of Purpose in an Age of Distraction
Christian Union Washington, DC, was delighted to host Justin Whitmel Earley on November 29, 2018, for the second of two salons that he led this month. Earlier this month, Justin led a hugely popular salon in New York City titled, "Habits of Purpose in an Age of Distraction." Justin led a second salon on the same topic for graduate students and young professionals in Washington, DC.If you missed the details from the New York City salon, the following is what Early shared in Washington, DC, including the audio recording from the event.
Earley’s topic, “Habits of Purpose in an Age of Distraction” is practical, but he began the discussion by sharing his personal story. Once a missionary in Asia, Earley returned to the US to follow a call from the Lord to become a lawyer. After excelling at Georgetown Law School, landing his dream job, and starting a family all seemed to well. Yet one day in that first year of work he was overcome by a sense of existential paranoia – he couldn’t sleep, he could no longer handle basic household tasks, his heart and mind raced. A trip to the ER only diagnosed severe anxiety – but no solution. Crippling anxiety began to tear down the good life he had established.In a last-ditch effort to restore order to his world, Earley sat down with his wife to craft some good habits and add some more structure to his life, and recruited close friends to keep him accountable to those rules. The result? His anxiety left him, his life changed drastically, and a growing number of people wanted to hear about his simple, yet life-giving rules. He began blogging and speaking on this topic, and soon he was approached about writing a book (The Common Rule). The more he speaks on this topic, the more he realizes just how essential, and radical, his message is—at least in our busy, technology-driven age.
Earley’s rules are remarkably simple (e.g. turn your phone off for one hour each day, spend an hour a week in meaningful conversation with a friend, take a sabbath, etc.), but the revelation behind them is profound. {tweetme}The crux of his presentation was that the habits by which we live determine our identity far more strongly that our identity determines our habits.{/tweetme} You deliberately set rules for your life, or you conform to your culture’s default. Living in line with that default does far more damage to your identity than you realize.
Furthermore, very few things are neutral. It may seem harmless to reach for your phone to check your work emails when you roll out of bed, and maybe skip part or all of your quiet time as a result, but in doing so you are speaking priorities and identities over yourself that don’t align with the Christian worldview. Immediately getting to work speaks a very different message to yourself than turning to a Psalm will. You are choosing to say to yourself “I need to work to prove my worth”, rather than letting the Word tell that you are dearly loved already. We make dozens of similar choices throughout our days.
The bottom line is that we structure our lives around many small habits whether we recognize it or not. Earley’s work encourages us to take small steps to break free from the bondage of the default culture, and craft our lives instead around biblical truths and identities. In doing so, we will become a light to those around us in our workplaces and homes, revealing the truth of the hope we have within us, and find freedom in an age of increasing busyness, loneliness, and distraction.
Audio
About Salons
Salons provide an intimate gathering for around 20 Christian leaders at a time to develop strong ties, and interact on a more narrowly defined topic that strengthens either the intellectual or supernatural dimensions of your Christian faith. Expert speakers will go in-depth, but the setting affords participants opportunities for question and answer, and interaction with the speaker, as well as one another.
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To learn more about the Christian Union Washington, DC ministry, please email: cudc@christianunion.org.
