Unpluggingনমুনা

So far in this reading plan, we have looked at how creating a regular rhythm of unplugging from the technology in our lives creates the necessary space for uninterrupted time with God and the necessary sensitivity to see and respond to the needs of the people around us where we live, work, and play.

Today, we will consider one final benefit of unplugging: True rest for our mind, body, and spirit.

The technology in our lives is an open door - a portal to the outside world connecting us to friends and family, news and social media, work and entertainment. Access to technology is a beautiful gift from a gracious God when kept within healthy boundaries. But without moments throughout the day when we shut the door to the outside world, our minds become anxious - straining and toiling for more and more. What started out as exciting has turned into a low level of noise that never fades. We feel numb, frozen, and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information coming at us from our technology. We want to step away, to unplug, but we fear missing out - that somehow we will be left behind.

All of this straining and toil is not new to us today. Hundreds of years ago - in a world void of today's technology - the author of Ecclesiastes wrote, "What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity." (Emphasis added, Ecclesiastes‬ ‭2‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NRSV‬‬)

Perhaps we would do well to heed the advice of Kevin DeYoung, who wrote, "Make boundaries, and fight with all your might to protect them. The simplest step to breaking the tyranny of the screen is also the hardest step: we can't be connected all of the time’... Most of us are long overdue for screen Sabbaths - segments of the day (even whole days) where we will not be "on the grid" or in front of an electronic device."

So what would it look like for us to unplug from our technology in order to find true rest for our mind, body, and spirit?

One suggestion might be to create a screen Sabbath for thirty to sixty minutes on the bookends of our day. Think of these bookends as a place of refuge where the door to our technology is bolted shut in order for our mind, body, and spirit to find rest in the presence of God.

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