After The Work

I recall when a band would feature an “unplugged” session, like Nirvana and Alice in Chains to name a couple. It was exciting to see the band members relaxed and the vibe was subdued. They would play our favorites with some interesting twists and sounds. It is as if the songs took on a new feel we wouldn’t have heard or felt before.

We live in an age where losing our phones (or earbuds) creates its own anxiety. We can have a constant stream of news, chats, blogs, and videos playing in our ear. Prior to the internet, we would have the radio on in a similar way as we went about our lives. Constant stimulation, now cranked up to 11.

We live in an age where the internet can act as a drug, particularly with pornography. One can see more explicit images than all of our ancestors could in their entire lives. People can become dependent upon the neurochemical cocktail we indulge in when viewing and using that content. We forget that those are people we are viewing, often victims of an industry that chews them out and spits them out.

Living in this digital age has also left us more isolated when we were promised it would bring us together. We see friends from long ago post their best foot forward, but stay inside while doing so. Going to a coffee shop, one can see people looking down at their devices instead of talking or playing a game provided by the shop.

I admit this sounds like a “boomer” post, anti technology and calling for days of old where “folks just talked together”. That is not the case. The digital age has increased visibility of injustice, increased communication and has given us unprecedented access to information. How fun it is to settle a debate by “googling it”!

John 7:38 features Jesus crying out at a large festival “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” True, we can read about God on the internet, but do we truly hear him as we listen to podcasts all day? Certainly we are not connecting with God when we are hiding in pornography, but when we mindlessly view YouTube videos or scroll Facebook, we are not connecting then, either.

Connecting and drinking this “living water” comes when we disconnect in order to reconnect. We disconnect from media and screens and find our center. Prayer, exercise, deep breathing, meditation are all ways we can slow down, reconnect, and listen for God in our lives. Where are you falling short? Where do you feel sorrow? Where are you upset? Confessing where we are down brings us back up. A fount of Living Water can be found within.

We disconnect so we can reconnect with the God of the Universe, but also with others. Times of quiet reveal thoughts and concerns for others. It is a natural time to pray for others to get what we would hope to get. Wishing blessing upon them is a blessing for us. Often after a quiet time, we are ready to reach out to others through a call or a message.

It is good to plug in and learn about the world, be entertained, and find new activities we enjoy. It is good to unplug and find our center again, where we can find new wrinkles to our lives, or reconnect with what we used to enjoy. We ought not be mastered by anything, be it digital or physical, but be our own masters through the Power that is available to us in God.