We are on overload!
So much is swimming and swirling in the air currents then landing on our wrists, in our pockets, cars, living rooms, offices, and stores -- screens are making noise everywhere! We can't seem to escape them.... and they are placed in front of the youngest faces, too young to absorb and process what is in front of them. Videos with noise and motion are constantly before us, screaming out for our attention at the gas pumps, in waiting rooms, in retail stores, corridors, and elevators. I've even seen them in public restrooms! Our world is busy and filled with distractions. There are so many things vying for our attention. Messages are constantly coming at us in many formats, all hours of the day and night. Once upon a time, the media signed off and offered no late-night programming so the world could rest. Not anymore. Media is pushing information 24/7.
They tell us what to think, what to do, what to eat, what to drink, what to read, what to buy, what to wear, when to sleep, when to wake up, when to leave, which way to go, and how to have fun. The screens read to us and plan for us and remind us when to stand and move and exercise and eat and take medicine and work and rest. Some people can no longer sleep without having some device speaking to them telling them how to calm down and prepare to fall asleep. For many, screens are the last thing they check before closing their eyes and the first thing they pick up when their eyes open. We can't seem to function without them! Without us realizing it, all that action is begging for our reaction and interaction, and it's stressing us out!
Lent is a time to slow down and step away and see what's happening inside us.
We have to decide to shut off the screens and rest. We need stillness and silence. A space where we can breathe deeply and calmly. Where we set our minds free to roam and think for ourselves. Even if your screen is about praying and spiritual matters, someone decides what to put out there for you to read and hear. We need time when everything artificial is turned off and God is our focus. It's how we untangle all the jumbled stuff that has been crammed into our eyes and ears for hours a day. It's how we sit in His presence and hear His voice. We feel His breath in ours. God reminds us who we are and who He is.
“Be still and know that I am God! Psalm 46:11
Visit silence and find God. He's getting drowned out by all the messages in our lives. We automatically turn to those messages for answers before we turn to Him. It seems we have made these screens our new idols. This week, we read about what idols did to the people of God in Exodus:
The LORD said to Moses, "Go down at once to your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved. They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them, making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it, sacrificing to it and crying out, 'This is your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!' Exodus 32:7-8
No longer a molten calf standing in one spot waiting for the faithful to approach it, we now carry our idols around with us in our pockets, purses, cars, and on our wrists.
They distract us throughout our day.
How many times do you check your phone? How often does your smartwatch buzz or vibrate, drawing your attention away from what or who is in front of you?
I dare say it happens more often than we realize.
Let's take a moment in these final weeks of Lent to look inward and ask ourselves:
What is the purpose of the things I do on a daily basis?
We do important work to provide for our families, have nice things, and have fun.
What are we doing daily for our soul?
How are we preparing for the most important aspect of our life -- our eternal life?
Here is a helpful tool: