That's what Don and I are doing this week. As you read this scheduled post, we'll be in day four of no email, phone, social media, or TV / news.
Why? We want to remove all distractions so we can more clearly focus on God and each other. We want to hear from God, and to connect with God at a deeper level.
Sometimes to connect with God requires us to totally disconnect from people.
You know how it is. You begin your quiet time, then hear the beep of a text coming in. Or someone calls - maybe your child, or a parent, or a close friend - and you feel obligated to answer to make sure everything is OK. Or you realize you forgot to answer an email. Or you wonder about the score of last night's game, get online to check...then the news...then Facebook... then you wonder how 5 minutes turned into a half hour (or more).
When we try too hard to stay connected to people and devices, we can easily find ourselves somewhat disconnected from God. How can we expect to walk in His love, His peace, and His strength if we aren't connected?
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
It will be a challenge to remain disconnected for an extended period, and we're expecting withdrawals of a sort. I feel strange even thinking about not having our phones on - naked, in a way. I hope we are inspired to begin a new habit of regularly turning off the devices and tuning into God. I'll let you know how it turned out when we get back.
In the meantime, will you join our challenge and resolve to turn off your devices for a few hours this coming week and seek God with that time?
Maybe you already have a practice of regularly disconnecting, I'd love to hear how God blesses that time. We all need inspiration!
I have done that on a rare occasion and only for a few hours. I hate to admit it, but it drives me crazy. I'm a news junkie so withdrawing from all the news reports and channels is more difficult than I imagined. Thanks for the challenge, Mary.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great idea! Getting addicted and distracted with devices is all too easy. It's time to swim against the tide. Thanks for the excellent post!
ReplyDeleteThank you, ladies, for your encouraging comments! Yes, we had never attempted more than a long weekend, and that only once. I must say it was wonderful...will be writing about that this week. Stay tuned...
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