Youth ministry summers are notoriously busy, gobbled up weeks at a time by events such as missions trips, camps, retreats and denominational conventions. The tasks of a youth worker are defined more by travel logistics and medical release detail than by ministry. It can be spiritually draining. But, there is one word that can change all that:
Statio.
Statio is an ancient monastic practice of taking an intentional pause in the transitions of the day. In that pause monks would think about the task just completed, meditate for a moment on an aspect of God, then turn their thoughts toward the next task.
We can learn from this. I’ve known about this practice for some time, but this past March I decided to put it into practice. My intent was to try it for a day; that worked so well I tried it for a week; that work so well I tried it for a month. That worked so well the practice is now officially part of my spiritual DNA.
The human body and mind were not built to butt tasks against each other. This is best evidenced in the music world when changing from one key signature to the next. Musicians don’t just change keys, they modulate, using a set of chords and notes that are common to both key signatures to get from one key to the next. Without this, even those not musically inclined notice the jarring abruptness.
Without statio, we are putting our mind and soul through dozens of jarring transitions every day. Eventually this takes a toll through elevated levels of clutter, frustration, and stress.
So how does statio work? Here’s how it worked for me: I created a simple set of prompts to step through as I moved from one task to the next. To train my brain, I actually typed my responses into a document. This then became a statio journal. Here are my prompts:
- What task did I just finish?
- What task is ahead?
- What do I need for the task ahead?
- What do I NOT need for the task ahead?
- Reflect: pray, or read a psalm, or focus on a trait of God that parallels the upcoming task
I would accompany these prompts with actions pertinent to the transition: close out programs or files on my computer, organize or file away papers and books on my desk. All of this can occur within 3-5 minutes. It doesn’t have to be a long pause, just intentional.
Some things I noticed after a month of practicing statio:
- More productivity: It might seem counterintuitive, but the practice of pausing in the transition, and thus creating longer transition, helps you be more focused and intentional on the tasks at hand.
- Gives God a handle: Statio gives God greater opportunity to conform you to the image of His Son. You feel like you are giving God an easy handle to grab to guide you along.
- De-stress: The meditative element of statio helps you alleviate emotional, mental, and physical stress. The physical elements of statio (closing files, shelving books) help you declutter, a known de-stressor.
Here’s what I felt I was being obedient to:
- Selah in the psalms: While the word Selah in the psalms is hard to define, the common theme in the word is to pause and reflect.
- Praying without ceasing: Each pause is an opportunity to integrate prayer into the ebb and flow of your day.
- Coming to Jesus heavy laden: To articulate what you “need” and “don’t need” in the course of your work day is to answer Jesus’ exhortation, “Come to me, all who labor…”
Teaching teens:
- Integrate this practice into one of your weeklong events: a missions trip, camp, convention.
- Invite your students to use the different pace of summer to practice statio. Challenge them to declare the summer of 2016 as the summer they built a habit of statio.
- Share this practice with the group who may most need it: parents.
The practice of statio shoots prayer into your day. When tasks become an opportunity to meditate and reflect, busyness becomes an opportunity for spiritual growth. Tasks that you felt had nothing to do with ministry now help you pray without ceasing.