From BURNOUT to BLISSUzorak

Breakaway – from the Digital & Driven World

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” – Mark 1:35

When was the last time you checked your phone, or email, or any social media you’re on? Chances are that you might be reading this from your phone right now. Technology has its advantages, and in this post-modern world it has become so dominant that we really can’t exist without some degree of technology. Our world is digitally driven, and so are we. Just think of how often throughout the day you check your phone or get interrupted by calls, messages, updates, notifications, and emails.

We read that Jesus often broke away to a solitary place. When He got up early in the morning, He left the house and prayed, it was certainly somewhere out in nature. Speaking to His Father as He likely watched the sunrise from a hill, the mist clear over a lake and nature awakening to bring glory to its Creator (see Psalms 66:4, 96:11-12, among others).

We were not created for screens and machines, but for sunrises and sunsets, starry nights and campfires, and the solitude of nature and the insights of its Creator. The digital drive is almost our post-modern way of laboring by the sweat of our brow (Genesis 3:19). For many of us these devices are our tools of scratching a living. But even after the fall of man to sin, God still gave us the opportunity to labor in nature – the environment He initially intended for us in anyway – even if this would be done through blood, sweat and tears. Before any temples or formal structures and services of worship, men connected with God in and through nature for generations.

Yet today we have built and developed very far beyond that. I am not arguing for a secluded lifestyle away from anything created after the 1800s. God has also blessed us with the ability to create and generate and automate in this digital age. But likewise, the enemy also ensnares us with the gifts of God. However, in nature we are not easily tempted, distracted, or burned out by the world nor the workload.

Jesus could keep up the pace of His ministry and everyday work without breaking down because He broke away often enough. Being fed daily by the Father in a quiet natural place enabled Him to feed thousands – both spiritually and physically. If the Son of God had to break away from the rush and requirements of His community and spend time in creation with the Creator, then so do we.

Therefore, let’s see today, this week, this month, how we can build a breakaway into our schedules on a regular basis. And not just another digital daily devotional, but a real solid time of off the grid, solitude in the sanctuary of nature. Whether it’s a walk or a run in the woods, a drive out to a beautiful view, or simply alone time in a garden, let us again find God and ourselves in His creation.

Read Psalm 19:1-6 and reflect on the following…

1. What is your observation(s) from today’s scripture and devotional?

2. How will you apply what you have learned today?

3. Pray about what God’s Word and the Holy Spirit is revealing to you…