A work of startling authenticity, Jonathan Wislon-Hartgrove's book speaks to each of us who seek an authentic path of Christian transformation by cultivating stability by rooting yourself more deliberately in the place where you live. "Trees can be transplanted, often with magnificent results. But their default is to stay." Stability's wisdom insists that spiritual growth depends on human beings rooting ourselves in a place on earth with other creatures.
Living in a culture of perpetual motion where most human beings crave constant activity to vie for our attention, it is all too easy to ignore our need for rest (or minimize its benefits) in hopes of maximizing the thrill that (we assume) comes with movement and high-productivity. If you're feeling stuck in a rut in your current environment, perhaps instead of needing adventure to provide escape, you might need a dose of Hartgrove's wisdom of stability. I know I have needed this book's prodding often.
"The practice of stability cannot be reduced to a quick fix for the spiritual anxiety of a placeless people. It is a process. It takes time...If our feelings of rootlessness are what drive us to the practice, we'll need something more than an immediate sense of relief to help us stay."
"Many of us who choose stability will have to struggle with the midday demon of ambition. Its voice is subtle, often suggesting new and exciting things that are undeniably good work...The repetition of the daily grind wears on us, tempting us to think that nothing ever changes unless we break out of our routine and change the conditions of our everyday life. When we are frustrated by life's difficulties, afraid we're not measuring up, ambition whispers, "Maybe you're not doing what you were made for. Maybe your talent could shine brighter if you were doing something else."
But as I am bombarded with ideas in my line of work, mentally tinkering with ways to spruce and shake things up, sometimes the best thing to do is just stick with routines and shore up the foundation of what "is" rather than what is "not yet." This book is a freshly honest and helpful perspective that constant movement, mobility and the distractedness of multi-tasking and the cult of the new are not how we are wired to cultivate growth and thrive as human beings. Taking time away for vacation and leisure are good for the soul, but there is significant health to be had in our staying rooted. For me and others my age who've ever gasped at the thought of keeping the same job for 30 years like some of our parents did, this teaching can sound like a tough sell. But I don't think rootedness has to be all or nothing. There are lots of ways we can be more rooted in our daily lives---beginning with our relationships and loved ones. The wisdom is as much practiced on a micro scale like in conversation with people as it can be on a bigger scale of things like our employment or where we choose to live.
"At the end of a long day, an activity as banal as Web surfing can seem more exciting than conversation with a friend or neighbor. Who hasn't been distracted in the midst of a normal exchange with the person in front of them by the thought, "Maybe I should check my email?"
As I continue to seek ways of becoming anew in mind, body and spirit, it is so easy to look past those things that are right in front of me 24/7--things that, if analyzed and reflected upon, could impact my mental and emotional health just as much as my delving into the unexplored spiritual frontiers have yielded thus far. What distracts me? How have I neglected my own self-care or the well-being of others? What are my demons?
"Whereas ambition pushes us toward perpetual motion, boredom paralyzes, leaving us unable to love our neighbors or even take care of our own basic needs. Though different in character, these midday twins tempt us to the same lack of care. In their grip, it is impossible for us to find joy in community...To grow in the practice of stability is to learn how to discern when we are called to stay and when God wants us to go...Maybe none of us are safe to respond to God's call until we've stayed put long enough to face our demons."
For those of you looking for new wisdom that challenges your assumptions, widens your spiritual perspective and opens a dialogue with your own demons of distractedness or obsession with escapism, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of this authentic and intriguing read.
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