Well…this was so helpful to me. I was thinking I had become insensitive, uncaring to most things outside my own “personal space” so to speak. Wondering how I had become emotionally removed from the global drama. Not necessarily stoic but not reactive to the daily exposure of negativity. ( did I miss the point?)
No, Kathryn, you did not miss the point. I believe that this Holy Indifference is tied closely to one’s faith. If you’ve been a Christian for a long time, you have the benefit of knowing that God will work out many of our issues in time. We become used to seeing things play out, and peace becomes a friend, not a visitor. BUT we always need to check that our response is not PURELY indifference. We can become apathetic … good to spend some time contemplating the ROOT of our indifference. When Christ slept in the boat on the storm, he was indifferent – was it because he was uncaring and insensitive to those on the boat?
Thanks, Lisa! I love the idea of “holy indifference”. Follow up question: What would be a good first resource to develop it?
I’ll email you an excerpt from Gale D. Webbe’s “The Shape of Growth” he addresses this idea in a chapter on Detachment.
Well…this was so helpful to me. I was thinking I had become insensitive, uncaring to most things outside my own “personal space” so to speak. Wondering how I had become emotionally removed from the global drama. Not necessarily stoic but not reactive to the daily exposure of negativity. ( did I miss the point?)
No, Kathryn, you did not miss the point. I believe that this Holy Indifference is tied closely to one’s faith. If you’ve been a Christian for a long time, you have the benefit of knowing that God will work out many of our issues in time. We become used to seeing things play out, and peace becomes a friend, not a visitor. BUT we always need to check that our response is not PURELY indifference. We can become apathetic … good to spend some time contemplating the ROOT of our indifference. When Christ slept in the boat on the storm, he was indifferent – was it because he was uncaring and insensitive to those on the boat?