Day 5: Technology 

Access to information. GPS. Prime shipping. Social media addiction. The digital age is a mixed blessing.

We look at our phones instead of our friends; we enter time warps during late-night web surfing; we live for the instant gratification of likes and followers.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free,” Paul writes. “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Paul’s words referred first and foremost to the bounds of legalism and the law that the church in Galatia struggled to let go of, but surely this applies to the bondage of the digital world, too. If Christ died to make us free, then we must not let anything make us its slave.

Unloading the Phone

I didn’t get rid of a smartphone entirely—instead I simply unloaded absolutely everything I could from my phone. It is now just a telephone, a texting device, a GPS, a camera, and a Bible. My settings are changed and password protected (with a password I asked my husband to set and keep for me) so that I no longer have internet access. I unloaded all my games, Facebook, Instagram, mobile email, Snapchat, and Twitter.

It’s not about giving up technology. It’s about freeing our souls so we can wring the most out of this one life we’re given. It’s about fewer dings and pings and more talking and listening. It’s about space for family and friends, and peace and rest and grace.

Reflection/Discussion Questions  

1. “There is always more, so why would any of us settle for less?” What is the wisdom in choosing less when there’s a whole world of entertainment, information, and connection to be had?
2. What are some downsides to having constant access to the digital world?
3. Read John 10:10. How can digital technology function as a thief? How many minutes a day does your smartphone steal? How do these stolen minutes make you feel? In what ways does technology pull you away from the abundant life Jesus speaks of in this passage? 
4. Relying on our own willpower or self-made rules in order to keep good digital boundaries seem like a good idea, but actually tends to be one way to fail quickly. Leaning on willpower alone will never work. Is that a freeing realization to you, or a scary one? What solution does she propose instead?
5. How can you change, adapt, or delete items on your digital devices to give you built-in safeguards against too much digital clutter? (Remember: rules and willpower almost never work for long!) Is there someone who might be a “password keeper” for you as another layer of help? After you end in prayer today, contact them to ask if they’d offer you this support in keeping your new digital boundaries.