We all want to be productive.
To write to-do lists. To clear the inbox. To get things done.
We see productivity as critical to growth; if we can harness our productive potential then surely we'll grow richer, stronger, and healthier.
But what if our obsession with productivity becomes ... unproductive?
Have we forgotten how to let the mind wander? Have we forgotten how to dream?
Greater awareness of oneself. Consolidation of memories. Moral reasoning. Planning for the future. These all come from daydreaming.
Because after all, daydreaming is essential for the making of meaning.
Music, art, books, and ideas all come from daydreaming. But these are again productive - and non-essential for valuing human life.
The Christian scriptures encourage us to wonder about the big questions, and not to pursue mindless productivity.
They appeal to us to imagine a safe life, flourishing under the protection of God's care.
The scriptures invite us home, and show us how to live as we were made to; not mired in productivity, but marked by rest, hope, and goodness.
"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths For his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" - Psalm 23