Day 3 - A Life Interrupted

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

In this exceedingly fast-paced world we live in…one filled with an endless supply of gadgets and gizmos allowing you to perform 120 tasks all before you roll out of bed… it’s becoming increasingly difficult to quiet your mind… to quiet your soul.  From the moment we wake, to the moment we fall asleep, we are inundated… assaulted… with a barrage of text messages, instant messages, friend requests and tweets.  All this technology was supposedly created to bring us closer together.  But, I fear that it’s done the complete opposite.  It disrupts our lives; distracts our focus and causes us to lose sight of our purpose.  Now, I willingly concede the fact that technology isn’t all bad.  There are benefits to being connected; but what I want to focus on here is the perversion and pitfalls of always being connected.

Recently, I met a friend for coffee; intentional face-to-face interaction that’s usually more enjoyable and purposeful than phone conversations constantly interrupted with the cries of children. But, I have to confess my disappointment in the time spent with my friend.  Instead of turning off her cell phone and truly engaging in our conversation, she was continuously distracted by voicemails, text messages and Facebook postings.  The constant disruptions hindered her ability to just sit and be present in our conversation.  She was never fully invested in our time together and, if I’m honest with myself, I’d have to admit that her behavior left me feeling acutely insignificant.

This is the problem I see with today’s technology.  It can serve as yet another obstacle in our efforts to build and maintain deep and meaningful relationships. As with my friend, being constantly “plugged-in” can cause us to miss out on the opportunities right in front of us; opportunities to share life… and more importantly, to share the Gospel. It can be equally detrimental on our relationship with Jesus.  To “be still and know that [He] is God” involves not only a quieting of our bodies, but a quieting of our minds. It requires us to be at a place where we can meditate on the Father without distraction.  It requires a conscious decision to unplug from everything in this world… and to “plug-in” to Him.  What would our lives look like if we spent as much time with Jesus as we do with our gadgets?

Challenge

By now you’ve probably figured out what the challenge is! Unplug for the day. Whether it’s one thing or everything… it’s up to you.  If you’re in the car, don’t turn on the radio.  Instead, spend the time talking to Jesus… or talking to your kids about Jesus.  Turn off your iPhone.  (I promise the world will not stop spinning.) Every time you look to turn it on… turn to Him instead.  Instead of watching TV tonight, or surfing the internet, open up the Bible and enjoy a good story… read one to your kids.  How you choose to spend your time is a direct reflection of your priorities.