Most of the time in this crazy, mixed-up world, we walk around burdened by heaviness and brokenness, unable to imagine a pure or good world. But once in a while (probably more than we notice), God gives us a glimpse of what life may have been like before sin, of what it will be like in the new creation. We don’t have a ton of information about what life was like for Adam and Eve before the fall … paradise only lasts for about one chapter in Genesis before everything falls apart. But one detail we do have is that before the fall, there was work. God “took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Gen. 2:15) But just like every other good and perfect gift that God gave to his creation, after the fall work became a distorted version of the original gift. It became a burden. God said to Adam, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground … ” (Gen. 3:19)
And so here we are, working and toiling by the sweat of our brow in order to survive. We no longer get to work but instead have to in order to eat.
This gift of work has not only become an obligation, but it has also become how we define our worth as humans. And by “work,” I am not only referring to a paid job where you clock in and out. I’m talking about all the other work we do as well … making meals for our family, cleaning out the gutters, putting the Christmas decorations away, spending quality time with family, etc. Many of us probably can’t even remember the last time we were not either working or sleeping.
True rest is a slippery thing to grab hold of, and I’m not sure many of us are good at it. I am one of those people who find it difficult to not “should” on myself the second I sit down to do something that is restful and completely unnecessary. Everything — even our hobbies, interests, exercise, and time with friends — serves some usefulness, measuring the worth of a day based upon how much is accomplished. But perhaps we should be more like Ron Swanson?
When the Danish practice of Hygge became the latest lifestyle craze a few years back, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Being comfy is great and all, but it’s not much of a life philosophy. Perhaps we were looking a little too far north? Instead of Hygge, perhaps the Dutch practice of “niksen” might show more promise? Translated literally as “to do nothing,” niksen is a simple exercise that lets go of time and productivity and allows your mind to wander. It is letting yourself simply “be.” Examples of practicing niksen would be sipping your coffee and looking out a window, leaving your phone somewhere else to prevent distraction. It could be sitting on a patio and listening to a bird chirp or the cicadas buzz, or watching a cloud or a tree. It is not mindfulness but rather “mindless relaxation.”
Sounds easy, right?
It’s harder than it looks. Writing about her own attempt at niksen, Nicole Spector found the experience less than fulfilling:
Dear reader, how I struggled! I was sitting in the living room, on a perfectly comfortable chair and became fixated by a ball of dog hair in the corner. “I should vacuum,” I thought. “I should take this time and clean.”
Then I began rehashing the details of a recent fallout with a friend. I kept thinking about how defensive I’d been in my last text to her. I wanted to re-read the text at that moment. I also wanted to text another friend to see what she thought about the whole situation. I was actually starting to feel more anxious about all the things I could be doing but wasn’t, because I was just sitting there doing niksen. I did not feel calm, I felt unsettled.
Then I had the baffling thought, “Am I ‘doing nothing’ wrong?”
I can relate to feeling like I am “doing nothing” (aka resting) wrong. I doubt Nicole and I are the only ones who feel this way, and it made me ponder why this is so difficult for us. It must be because we are obsessed with being productive at all times, right? Only, I don’t think that’s 100% it because most of us feel just fine about sitting in front of a tv show or consuming some sort of entertainment. So it seems we are alright with being productive or consumptive because we are doing something. What we are uncomfortable with is not being an active participant or recipient in what is going on around us: when we could be there or not be there, and things would be the same.
Doing nothing is difficult because of our fears: We fear being bored. We fear being unimportant. We fear not being in control. Put in a deeper and darker way, we fear irrelevance. Even more than our fear of death, we fear the idea of our existence amounting to nothing.
Niksen brings that fear to the forefront. Every waking moment of our lives is spent trying to prove the worth and reason for our existence, but doing nothing makes us question that. There is something terrifying and wonderful about the fact that the world continues to spin just fine without our active participation in it. Terrifying because, then why do I exist? And wonderful because, the weight of the world does not rest on my shoulders.
Basically, niksen puts us in our place.
A place where we are humbled because it turns out we are not the god of our own world, and relieved because there is a God who’s got us covered.
That place is back in the Garden of Eden, before work became a burden. When Adam and Eve could sit and look around at God’s creation and not feel an ounce of guilt, because they would never dream that God’s love depended on their work in the garden. Admiring God’s work was enough.
That place is also in the new creation. There God will make all things new, including our definition of self-worth and our entire existence, which as it turns out will matter very much.
And believe it or not, that place is also now. Jesus says, “I have come so that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn 10:10) He says this in the chapter right before the story of Lazarus, where Jesus tells Martha that her brother who has died will rise again. And Martha replies, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” And Jesus replies, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” (Jn 11:23-25) Jesus then raises Lazarus to life, here on this earth.
So is this “abundant life” here and now or “at the last day?” I think Lazarus proves that the answer to that is yes. When Jesus says that he has come to give abundant life, the word “abundant” can also mean “beyond” or “excessive.” I believe Jesus is referring to life here on earth and beyond this life to eternity. It is more than we could ever ask for. It is excessive.
So whether we are working or doing nothing, God gives us abundant life. And whether we are practicing niksen on purpose, or life throws it at us and circumstances force us to do nothing (can we coin the term “niksened?”), the truth of God’s original design remains — you matter and he is in control.
COMMENTS
3 responses to “Doing Nothing … It’s Harder Than It Looks”
Leave a Reply
Great piece. Echoes some of my recent reflections on being “niksened”: Who Am I If I Can’t Work? Finding My Identity Amidst Long Covid https://thewell.intervarsity.org/reflections/who-am-i-if-i-cant-work-finding-my-identity-amidst-long-covid
I was going to comment, but I got nothing.
Juliette,
Thank you. Thank. you. so. much. Your article spoke directly to my heart and my thoughts and I found it deeply comforting. You are God’s love to me today.