The promise of cheap, easy connection lures me to the icons on my phone. Then, I cringe when my weekly screen time report pops up. Can that thing be disabled? Isolation makes me anxious to find a filler. What about you can you wait a minute?
Raise your hand if your percentage spiked when this isolation started. The more attention, no compulsion, the device gets the more it demands. Interruption is a rich opportunity. Why are you chasing the wind?
“Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless – like chasing the wind.” Ecclesiastes 6:9 (NLT)
Antisocial media
Social media is anything but social. More talking than listening, more arguing than connecting, a lot of us are sick of it. Yet here we are. The draw of scrolling through cherry-picked pictures of other’s lives provides shallow relationships to fill the void. Spewing drama and opinions placates boredom and provokes emotion. Sometimes you just want to feel something, even if it’s anger.
Spouting off words we’d never say face-to-face, there’s no better platform to share opinions than social media. By the way, an opinion is:
“A view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.”
Looking for agreement
Recently, I read an article. Wait, let me rephrase that; I skimmed it, reading maybe every 5th line or so. And I read it to see if it disagreed or agreed with what I already believed. Ah, you too, huh?
“Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness; they chatter on and on.” Ecclesiastes 10:13 (NLT)
Makes you wonder if King Solomon had a Facebook account… After all he wrote, “In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent?” (Ecclesiastes 6:12 NLT)
How do you fill the emptiness?
What if there is a purpose in all this and we forgot to look for it? Or maybe we looked in the wrong places. When stillness interrupted my life, I leaned on the Lord and learned He is faithful no matter what. Maybe we’ve missed opportunities to spend time self-reflecting because we are addicted to a flat appendage that promises what it cannot deliver. Meaningless.
Where do I find meaning?
Not by logging in, but by looking up.
We find meaning by looking up, not by logging in Click To TweetEmptiness
Our busy lives were interrupted. This isn’t new to me.
God creates emptiness in our lives so He alone can fill it. Instead, we substitute people, activity, or meaningless surfing which zaps away our time and focus. Redirect your emotions and let God fill the empty places.
We are designed for connection and meaning, even during the pause. Funny how some connection actually makes us more disconnected. If you are feeling isolated, anxious and alone, there’s one thing to do – wait.
“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.” Psalm 62:5 (NLT)
Can you wait a minute?
Waiting well is a lost art. We’re too anxious for the stillness to pass, for the grief to be gone, for life to get back to the crazy normal. But when we don’t wait, we settle for the meaningless when we could find the ultimate hope. Look for it while living halfway between the life you have and the life you expected.
Practice waiting
The problem with quiet time used to be that we didn’t have time. Now we don’t have quiet. Waiting takes practice.
- Sit still
- Be quiet
- Put down your phone
- Wait
- Let God fill the empty space
Will you set aside time every day to practice waiting?
When I was off work because of Covid, I found myself, instead of napping after lunch (which I tend to do on weekends) covering up with my quilt and spending and hour or so praying. It was one way to cope with the disruption and gave me peace and calm. I also was able to participate in a Bible study done on Facebook by a friend. And, of course, made a quilt – a special one of a cross – to be used in a fundraiser later this year But, I also learned to pass by those posts on Facebook that I soon realized was not worth the stress it could bring nor could I verify the truth in their “facts”. I also took the time to look at what retirement was going to look like and discovered that I can, with God’s help, retire peacefully. After having worked most of my life, I was unsure of being home so much. God is opening doors for me to be able to reach out and help others when I retire!
This is so comforting. Love that you hold on to what you know brings peace