Dolce far niente—“the sweetness of doing nothing.”

One of the most powerful soul-training exercises I have ever done is a practice called holy leisure. In simple terms, holy leisure is “doing nothing, for God’s sake.” It is important to get the emphasis on the right clause: we do nothing, but we do it for God. Richard Foster writes about this in his classic book, Celebration of Discipline:

I can think of no practice that is more needed for our frantic, fast-paced, over-scheduled world than holy leisure, for the reasons Richard describes.

The central tenet of this book is that we are created by God with everything we need, everything our souls long for, and that we do not have to strive to meet these needs. God fulfills these needs as gifts to us. But everything within us wants to control, to push, to earn, and to achieve. Holy leisure puts this desire to death like nothing else I have done. In a sense, it is the simplest of all practices: just . . . do . . . nothing. In another sense, it is the most challenging practice we can engage in. This is due in part to the fact that our world calls this “killing time,” which makes us feel false guilt when we do so. Nothing could be further from the truth. Holy leisure is “investing time” in resting in God.

When we created The Spiritual Formation Workbook for Renovaré, I put holy leisure as one of many prescribed practices, which included other disciplines such as Bible reading, worship, prayer, and fellowship, to name a few. When Dallas Willard saw the list of practices, he pointed at holy leisure and said, “This will be the one people will find the most difficult.”

I said, “Surely not! I mean, doing nothing—what could be easier than that?”

Dallas was right. In every group in which I field-tested this list of practices, holy leisure was the one that people routinely said, “Yeah . . . I didn’t end up doing this one.”

Why was it so difficult? Because doing nothing is not something we ever do intentionally. To be sure, we all waste time now and again. But to set aside time to do it—that is foreign to us. It just feels strange. And it stirs up something within us that wants to do, to accomplish, to make the most of our . . . time.

The reason for beginning with this practice is to help us embed these narratives: life is a gift; we are a gift; we did not create ourselves or earn God’s love and forgiveness; we did not merit new life in Christ; and our future life in glory is not something we earn. We did nothing to receive these gifts. Practicing holy leisure is a way to live into this reality. To embrace simply being instead of doing is difficult for most of us. This practice, if we can endure it, will bring peace into our souls.

So how do you practice holy leisure?

• Set aside a set amount of time in your schedule.

• Start with five or ten minutes doing nothing. You may find that you can spend longer than five to ten, and if so you may want to try thirty or forty-five minutes—though this will be difficult for many, especially the first time if you have never done it.

• Find a comfortable place to sit still for this time period.

• Do not do anything that accomplishes something.

• Just be. Do not do.

Through the years I have done this practice in groups, and there are some common questions people ask. I will address some of the main ones:

1. 1. Can I read my Bible during this time?

   Answer: No. But if you feel a strong need to look up a passage, feel free to do so. Just be sure you are not reading as a means of preparing for some future task, such as a Bible study or sermon. Remember: you are not to accomplish anything.

2. 2. Can I write in my journal during this time?

   Answer: Maybe. If you are hit with an insight that you want to write down, feel free to write in a notebook or journal. But as with the Bible, be sure you are not using this time to do something. Your goal is to do nothing.

3. 3. Can I take a walk during this time?

   Answer: Maybe. Once again, it is all about your motive. If you are secretly trying to get in some exercise, then the answer is no. That would be accomplishing something. But if you find yourself outside and want to walk to a lovely spot, feel free to do so.

The point of this practice is to become comfortable doing nothing, which puts to death our need to establish our worth through what we accomplish. If we make this practice a part of the rhythm of our lives, we will discover the joy of unhurried living, as well as the blessing of knowing that all of life is grace.

In my experience, many people will find this very difficult, and for some, even unpleasant. Many people have even said to me, “When I tried holy leisure it was a disaster—an epic fail!” If that is the case for you, do not be discouraged. The rule of thumb for all soul-training exercises is this: do as you can, not as you can’t. Simply do this exercise for as long as you are able, and be at peace. Few people do it well the first time, so give yourself a lot of grace. Focus on being and not doing for as long as you are able, and count on it being easier the more you practice it.