Uploading: A Christian Path to Stress-less Centeredness

Every year I go back. Not to a place, but to a set of books – key books. Books that are so foundational to my professional life I need to marinate in them, ruminate on them over and over. There are several, but right now I’m thinking of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen.

This year I’m struck by a concept in Getting Things Done (GTD), that of 'downloading'. Downloading is putting all one’s thoughts, all the reminders, ideas, and to-do’so, into a central, external system. We live in the Information Age where work and life are filled with thoughts we want or need to remember. “Feed the cat,” “Send the birthday card,” “Return the client’s call,” “don’t forget Margie’s name,” “Someday I want to hang glide,” and the list goes on. What's more, our brains frequently and repeatedly remind us precisely when we cannot do anything about them. This causes a great deal of stress and distraction. So GTD’s answer is to put whatever occurs to you – and I mean everything – onto an external system that you trust, like a planner or software program. Allen calls this ‘downloading’. Once placed in safe keeping your mind can let go, relax, and focus on the present. 

It’s a terrific concept that works. But recently I realized tasks are easily downloaded, emotions however are not. Productivity can screech to a halt after receiving tragically sad or amazingly good news, getting embroiled in a conflict, or having a bombshell of a problem dropped in your lap. I know if I don’t deal with my emotions they carry over into the next event, conversation, or relationship - and that can sometimes spell disaster. Psychologists use terms like ‘displacement’ and ‘transference’ to describe this very common phenomenon. So what is there to do when emotions and feelings trump the action items of life?

Upload. We often think of prayer as downloading. “God in Heaven, please give to me [down here on earth] this or that.” It might be success, help, safety, strength, money, forgiveness, a car, a relationship, and so on. We don’t always think of prayer as uploading. One prayer in the Book of Common Prayer (p. 831, #54) says, “Almighty God, we entrust all who are dear to us to your never-failing care…knowing that you are doing for them better things than we can desire or pray for…” (emphasis mine). This prayer is an example of ‘uploading’. Uploading is placing our concerns in God’s hands. Anything that fills our minds or hearts - joy, loneliness, gratitude, anger, worry, or silliness - can be uploaded into God’s love and provision. I Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on [God] because [God] cares for you."

 

If downloading our mental list of tasks is about efficiency, then uploading – giving God our laundry list of feelings - is about effectiveness. Tasks are what we do. Feelings, conscious or unconscious, known and unknown, frequently dictate how those tasks are completed. We can accomplish all our tasks and yet be completely ineffective because of the spirit in which we did them. Are we bland, calloused, dry, resentful, or angry in our work? Or are we known by the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? (Gal. 5:22-23)

 So make some simple uploads in your daily routine. Make a prayer and offer your load of care to God. Write down in a letter to Jesus all that is distracting you and commit it to his care. Or visualize putting these things in a container and placing them at the altar of God or at God’s feet. Then discover what happens next.

Remember, it was Christ who said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28)