The Irony of the Challenge
Have you taken Pastor Greg’s challenge from last week? You know, the 24 hour technology-free challenge. Turn off the cell, log off the computer, turn off the television and see what happens during that 24 hours. Did you do anything different? Did you hear anything you might have missed otherwise? Was it harder than you thought? What did you learn?
It’s rather interesting, isn’t it, that we are discussing freeing ourselves from technology on a blog – full of all sorts of irony! So the best we can hope for is that you aren’t posting or reading this till your 24 hours is over.
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I agree 100% that we allow too many distractions, too much noise into our lives. Fasting from technology for 24 hours is a great idea as long as it leads to prayer, devotion, seeking His presence just like the old saying, “the fasting starts when the prayer begins.” I choose to “fast” in the morning before breakfast when I do my devotions and in the evening around 9:00 when I read Christian literature & meditate before I go to bed. My grandfather Oscar Meyer read us the Bible & prayed every night right before we went to bed. How AWESOME it is when the last message / thoughts you have right before you go to bed is about God. Amen!
I took Pastor Greg’s 24 hour challenge and it was a challenge!! A little background… I firmly believe that e-mail is one of the GREATEST inventions of all time. In our house, if our computer would ever crash, I think we’d go through major withdrawal. Add to that our cell phones with texting, our TV with tons of channels, and radios throughout our house, our lives are immersed in technology.
3. Most importantly, the silence with my son was better than all the technology in the world.
I have to admit, while I did honestly complete the challenge, I did take a bit of any easy way out by abstaining on a Sunday where there are less phone calls, e-mails and good things on TV on Sundays
I did miss my e-mail and Facebook, but the time I noticed the silence the most was when I was feeding Zeb. Sometimes when feeding him, I check e-mail or text and in the middle of the night I watch TV, especially to stay awake. With all those options gone, there was nothing but him and I.
I’m not going to lie, it was tough to stay away during that 3 AM feeding, but so worth it!! After I got used to the silence in the earlier feedings and was finally awake, I used that time to pray for Zeb, his future, his relationship with his brother, asking for wisdom and guidance as his mom, and just about anything else that popped into my head.
What did I learn??? 1. That I still love my technology!! I’m with Ian… absence makes the heart grow fonder. 2. That I can go 24 hours without it.
From this 24 hour fast, I’ve made a change. I make sure that at least one feeding time is technology free for some one on one on one time… Me, Zeb, and God!!
Does my inability to hear God often relate to the amount of noise I have going in my life? I think I most definitely have to say yes to this question. A deeper question I must ask myself is, why am I allowing this piece of technology to enter into my day? “What do you want me to do God?” is probably my favorite question to ask. When we listen for his answer we may find out what is distracting us and what is not. Will this “piece” add to the noise or is God using this to speak to me today. There are times when there is nothing better than music to help me commune with God. However, music can often be a distraction for me as well. The great part about this challenge is that is shows us we have the ability to turn off and unplug when we need to. We must be slaves to the Holy Spirit and not to technology or our own desires. Fasting like this helps to quiet the other voices in our lives and amplify the voice of God.
…Technology…No didn’t take the challenge…probably should have…So many ways to define this one.
I think it important to remember that when Johannes Gutenberg first developed his press around 1440 there were many who thought his invention to be disruptive. It upset the established way of doing, the established way of being, and the established hierarchy in the church (and the world). In the same way various musical instruments have upset the apple cart in worship dating back hundreds of years. Change is always disruptive to those who have settled for themselves a way of being or doing.
I think the deeper question really has nothing to do with technology, but rather what types of noise in our lives need to be addressed? Books contain noise if they keep me from listening to the sounds my Father is whispering to me. Constant activity robs me of as much or more focus than does technology…or media. How about sports, or fashion, or money, or status or any number of things which on the surface can seem quite harmless or even good for me. What of the noise created by trying to serve to the point of exhaustion? What of the noise of meetings which have little purpose? What of the noise of organization and expectation?
Technology in and of itself is not the problem. Like Gutenberg’s invention the use of today’s “distractions” are no more positive than that which the reader allows them to be…no more negative then we permit them to be. The challenge may be in finding that God is in the details, but that the details are not in the noise. I’ll unplug for now, but one will find me back at the computer, studying a book, checking the facts online, bantering with other believers…challenging my life with technology in ways that I am certain that Wesley would have loved, and that Luther would have seen equally (if not more so) as effective as the Wittenburg Door.
Peace
Park
I took Pastor Greg’s challenge too. It’s something that Ron and I have been aware of since our children were little. During mealtimes, the TV, radio is shut off. We have long family meetings several times a week where all is quiet in the house except for the sounds of our voices. Technology along with so many other issues that we let come into our lives are distractions from God. Email is good as long as it is not abused. We’ve experienced distractions because of inappropriate conflict via email. Cell phones are great until proper use of them is abused. I feel when a person I am in discussion with is texting while we are speaking is so rude. I have little tolerance for that.
It seems the key is to discipline yourself and remember what is important in the life God gave you. It’s all about balance, something we work hard at everyday.
The last two weeks in the Glumb house have been so memorable. My mother stayed with us and spent time with the girls, a rarity since she lives in Chicago and takes care of my niece and nephew, while my sister works. I can’t tell you how blessed we are to still have my Mom here for my girls. It was two weeks filled with sewing lessons, quilt garden tours, canning and pickling, a quaint lunch at Pickle’s Cafe, celebrating birthdays, playing with our bird and horse, sitting on the front porch watching hummingbirds, looking through old photos, tears for lost loved ones, and hearing a story of Mom’s first boyfriend. I watched this interation between my girls and their Grandmother in amazement and joy. They asked questions, I would never had asked her myself as her daughter!
What a great replacement for technology and steps closer to our purpose that God has for us. The feeling spoken or unspoken during this time was that we’ll all be together again someday in heaven. Jesus made this possible for us, it will be OK.