You've probably played 'The Quiet Game'. It is a contest to see who can go the longest without making a sound. It is very hard for some of us to win that game. We are real good at activity. I think ours is the most active generation ever. And we fill all of that activity with noise of some sort. 150 years ago there was absolutely no internet, TV, phone, or music player. Now we have all of these in our pocket all the time. 150 years ago there was no automobile or airplane. Not only do we have access to the world in our pocket, but we can get to any part of the world in a weekend. I’m not knocking these advancements. I believe in them and use them. We live in a phenomenal time. But if we are going to celebrate the wonder, we also need to acknowledge the weakness that comes with these add-ons. In many ways, these technologies are a blessing to our life. But they are also a curse. Advancements can make us more productive, knowledgeable, and fulfilled. But technology can also make it more difficult to experience serenity and contemplation. These experiences used to come more natural to people. It used to be that a person would walk through the woods to the pond and read a book and pray. Along the way, they would soak in nature and meditate on the things of God. Today, we jump in our car, drive to a waterfall, look up information about the area on our mobile device, take pictures, post them to Facebook, and read the response of our friends who tell us to enjoy our time away. I know this happens because I do it. But we struggle in the quiet. This struggle occurs even in our worship services at church. If there is a gap where no one is playing music and no one is talking or praying, or praising God, people start to get nervous. God almighty is meeting with us, but we get fidgety when no one is talking or singing. We don’t do quiet well at all. But we need to. There are some things we will only learn when we are meditating. Media is good. Meditating is better. Social media is good. Solitary meditation is better. God can speak above the noise. But we don’t hear well above the noise. We should not fear the silent times. We should seek them. In a sense, we should not have to carve out time for contemplation. We should have to carve out time for silly videos. I’m not suggesting we rid ourselves of activity and technology. I just think we would do better today to take a rest from those things that are giving us spiritual ADHD. The enemy knows that when we flush those things from our life, we get to know ourselves and God better. We struggle to seek and meditate on the things of God because we become tired so easily, yet we can lie awake all night worrying about all of the activity in our life. There is a better way, and we find it in the Bible. “I will remember the Lord’s works; yes, I will remember Your ancient wonders. I will reflect on all You have done and meditate on Your actions.” (Psalm 77:11-12) Today you can fill your mind and time with the things of earth, or you can let the things of heaven flush your mind and fill it with peace, joy, and contentment. This will enable you to better enjoy the good things of earth. Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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AuthorMy name is David, and I want to know God more, and help other people find Him. Archives
March 2019
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