Watch Chris Hall’s Overcoming Sloth with Stability and Perseverance here.
In the final session, Chris looks at sloth; lack of care in our relationship with God. Evagrius warns us about the noon time devil, the voice of dissatisfaction, disillusionment and discouragement. Abba Paul teaches us that the best response is to stay grounded in the present moment.
Chris ends with a reminder that the heart of desert spirituality is love—love of God and love of neighbor. And we love, of course, because God first loved us. Sometimes it takes time in the desert to fully grasp that.
Small Group Leaders: Equipment Required
1. What did you hear?
The study group leader picks up the pebble and shares what resonated and what brought up resistance. One sentence for each. No comments, no questions. The study group leader then passes the pebble to their neighbor.
When a group member is holding the pebble, it is their turn to share if they want to—everyone should be given the courtesy of being listened to without judgement or comment but remember, one sentence for each. If a group member does not wish to share anything then they can simply pass the pebble to their neighbor.Some people may not be comfortable passing an object around the group. You may want to provide antimicrobial gel for everyone to use before and / or after touching the pebble. However, please also feel free to find more creative ways to pass on the right to share without interruption.
2. What are you thinking?
After you have all had the chance to share your initial impressions you can open up the group for discussion.
a. When have you ever been tempted to run out on or give up on God? Was it at a time when you simply could not make sense of something that was happening in your life? Has it ever been too difficult for you to stay in a particular situation?
Note to leader: It may be hard for some participants to admit the answer to this question. You might want to discuss in pairs rather than in the big group, or even just have everyone use the pen and paper to write it down.
b. Evagrius talked of the noonday devil, the voice that tempts to a different life. What is your experience of this?
c. Abba Paul learned not to be distracted from his life of prayer by keeping his hands busy. What are the top five distractions in your life that stop you from developing your relationship with God?
3. Reflecting on Scripture
Think about the teaching you have received from Chris through these sessions. What is it about the desert that can help cultivate our hearts so that there is good soil there?
How do we learn to love well?
Finish by reading 1 John 1:5–9.
Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Hebrews 12:1–3
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
1 John 4:7–12
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
1 John 1:5–9
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Discuss your experiences in the group, then try the new practices at home before the next session. Please take a copy of the study guide with you as a reminder.
Feedback
Did you try any of the practices from the previous session? What was helpful? What wasn’t?
Prayer and manual work
Chris suggests taking time to pray and ponder about how to cultivate stability and perseverance in our lives as they are; to consider how we react to discouragement and distraction.
Abba Paul had a rhythm of prayer and manual work. Chris suggests that manual work can help us find stability as we work through the difficult times.
Ask
Chris encourages us to just pray honestly to God about what we need and how we are feeling.
A rule of life
Chris reminds us that the heart of desert spirituality has to do with learning to love God and to love our neighbors.
Throughout this series Chris has suggested practices to develop our relationship with God and to root virtue in our lives. In the study guides, I have offered some further suggestions.
I invite you to commit to a rule of life—that is regular, habitual practice. You might want to continue (or start) some of the practices we have suggested or to incorporate others.
Please remember:
Rule in this context means trellis, not law. Do as you can and not as you can’t. Furthermore, if a practice does not support your growth, let it go and choose one that does.
Regular practice does not have to be daily. You might want to include weekly, monthly, or annual practices. You might choose different rhythms for workdays and for non-workdays; for days when you have company and days when you do not.
The crux of desert spirituality is to “be free of distractions and live in such a way that love is the final result in our lives.”
Have participants pray the following prayer together at the end of the session.
Prayer of Yielding
Psalm 130:1–6
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Sloth is not about doing nothing; it is about doing anything except that which one is supposed to be doing. It is about laziness only in the sense of “lack of care about one’s relationship with God.”Hall, Chris, Session 9
Sloth is the vice associated with Enneagram type 9—described below—but all types have their own way of putting God on hold.
We have looked in detail at the head, heart, and gut triads. Another way of grouping the Enneagram types is by their social styles.
Enneagram types 9, 4, and 5 are traditionally described as withdrawn. I prefer to think of them as sages. Sages see the world as it is—warts and all, detail and big picture. They help others to see things through carefully crafted expertise, creative expression, or the ability to explain all points of view. Sages are humble and wise. They tend to live and let live. They often connect with God in creation, but they hold him at bay when they resist engagement with the world.
Enneagram types 3, 7, and 8 are the assertive types, but I think of them as prophets. Prophets see the world as it could be and exert themselves to change things. They offer a driving force in pursuit of excellence, justice, and prosperity. Prophets can be visionary, passionate, forceful, and challenging—they are not afraid to disturb the peace, but at their best, can also radiate compassion and kindness. Prophets often hear God through stories of redemption and want to change society for the better. However, they put God on hold when they fail to acknowledge the need for integrity and personal transformation.
Enneagram types 1, 2, and 6 are the compliant types. I think of them as priests. Priests see the world as it should be. They “care for order in the universe the way that a composer cares about the precise order of notes in a symphony.”Sacks, Rabbi Jonathan, Leviticus: The Book of Holiness, Covenant & Conversation, Vol. 3 (Jerusalem, Israel: Koren Publishers, 2015). Priests have a morality that is rooted in structure, order, and harmony. They understand the nature of sacrifice and call the world to obedience, service, and purity. They are the guardians of the sacred and often connect with God in liturgy and ritual. However, they put God on hold when they insist on defining the way things should be done, create their own boundaries, embrace legalism and resist grace.
9: The Peacemaker/The Mediator/The Comforter
Nines feel good about themselves when all is calm. They consider themselves to be unimportant and would be surprised if you thought otherwise
Nines might well say:
“I really don’t mind.”
A Nine is unlikely to say:
“You, me! Outside!”
Nines are usually biddable, easy going, inclusive, gentle people. They listen well and have a knack of making people feel heard and understood. They can often see all sides of an argument and hence are very good mediators, helping others to find compromises.
Nines value relationship immensely, especially relationship with significant people in their lives. They fear conflict will shatter relationship. This fear can lead to a complete disregard of themselves. A total loss of boundaries to the extent that they can “merge” with the other, take on their agenda, desires, and opinions as if they were their own. Furthermore, nines have a tendency to numb themselves using alcohol, drugs, television, social media, food; in truth any form of distraction.
The law of inertia states that a body once in motion will stay in motion and a body at rest stays at rest, unless acted on by an external force. Expert procrastinators, Nines find it very hard to get going on something but once they get started, they can roll on steadily until it is done. Be warned though, don’t push a nine too hard to get them started or you may find yourself pushing against the considerable force of passive-aggressive stubbornness.
The vice of the Nine is sloth, inaction, not responding to something, or calling something out soon enough for fear of rocking the boat or shattering relationships. Moreover, it is the vice of actively avoiding truth about oneself, about God ,and especially about one’s relationship with God.
Under stress Nines take on the negative characteristics of the Six, experiencing anxiety about everything, delaying making decisions, doubting themselves and building a very poor self-image.
Hope for the nine comes in waking up to themselves:
Nines can work on this by embracing all that is positive in the Three:
Nines have deposed God as a challenging influence by numbing out to God’s presence. “They have lost sight of the fact that God loves us unconditionally, is the true giver of peace and wants to share that peace with us.”Widdows, Becky and Margi Walker, God-shaped people: UK Enneagram course.
When a Nine opens up to the undeserved Grace of God they start to comprehend that they are someone “in whom Christ dwells and I live in a kingdom of a God who loves me and is caring for me.”Smith, James Bryan, The Good and Beautiful God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 21. When they grasp that they are loved unconditionally that they cannot shatter God’s love for them, the virtue of right action grows, the ability to act decisively and diligently with God, in the service of God. Virtuous Nines have the energy and motivation to follow where Christ leads and are able to give and receive genuine love.