“And after the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper”— 1 Kings 19:12(TLB).
“I’d rather give up a kidney than my cell phone.” This statement from a 16-year-old appeared in a 2010 online article about teenagers and technology. This girl is now 28 and I wonder if she still feels the same way about her phone.
Walk into any restaurant or other venue, including church, I might add, and you’ll see, not only teenagers but adults glued to their cell phones. Whether it’s texting, posting on Facebook or Instagram or surfing the web, technology via cell phones has taken over our lives. I’m guilty too.
However, I do turn my phone off for church and put it on silent while I’m in meetings or focused on my writing projects. Also, if possible, I try to avoid messaging and answering calls when I’m seated across the table during a meal with others.
In a recent blog post, “Empty Pocket, Full Attention,” Brady Goodwin wrote, “I sometimes leave the house without my phone—on purpose. (Gasp!)”
Continuing, Goodwin added, “Despite the annoyance of anyone who may try to reach me, for an hour or two each day, I willfully decide to do without the ability of immediate communication or information from the outside world. This means no Twitter, no Instagram, no Facebook, no Google, no texts and no push notifications alerting me of the latest breaking news or the game’s score update. The only knowledge accessible to me is the knowledge I already possess.”
Some people are tuned in 24/7, meaning waking up in the middle of the night to check Facebook accounts or even email on their cells. I agree with Goodwin. Do we really need to be constantly tuned in to everything happening in the world?
What happens when we’re so tuned into the world we ignore God and His still, small voice? How do we grow spiritually? How do we determine His calling on our lives and the steps He wants us to take on our journey?
Leaving our phone at home or putting it away when we’re spending time with God accomplishes something else. We’re more aware of our surroundings and aware of God’s work in our lives and the lives of others.
Goodwin adds, “I leave my phone at home because I need to be reminded that I don’t know everything, nor can I. It’s more important for me to know that where I am is where I am, and not somewhere else. I need to see that I am fundamentally limited and that my incessant desire for knowledge says far more about my heart than the supposed dangers of technology. I need the awareness that believing otherwise actually prevents me from loving and knowing others as I should. It perpetuates the lie that I am self-sufficient, rather than a mutually dependent creature utterly reliant upon the grace of God in the knowledge of Jesus.”
What if we all began leaving our cell phones at home more often? I don’t think the world would end. Do you?
The cell phones in church always get me. Seriously, people? You can’t be out of touch for 90 minutes? We used to do it all the time, and the world did not end.
I agree, Sandie. We could get by with less cell phone use…period. The world will not end if we should decide to leave it at home for a change. Thanks for responding to my post. I appreciate you!