This is part of an ongoing series during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. To engage further in the #QuarantineSoulCare series, click here.
Our ever-increasing engagement with technology is deepening neural pathways that make it difficult to maintain practices that are essential for soul care.
For example:
- Our habit of continually switching from one thing to another on our device trains our brains to seek constant stimulation, and this makes it hard to spend focused time connecting with God.
- The way we skim when we are on the Internet trains our brains for shallow thinking, so we struggle to take in transcendent truths that reveal the profound beauty of Christ.
- Compulsive texting … and engaging in social media train our brains to neglect the person in front of us, robbing us of the awareness we need to be salt and light or to love our neighbors as ourselves. …
Studies indicate […] that reflection contributes to a well-rounded mind and an ability to “thrive in a complex, ever-shifting new world.” Meditation strengthens your brain and is a “stepping stone to becoming more compassionate, calm, and joyful.” Prayer can lower your propensity to anger and increase empathy. Contemplation can actually cause your brain to grow.
It is a stunning fact that these practices and others were all laid out in Scripture thousands of years ago. …While people bemoan their busyness and lament the distractions that keep them from practices one considered indispensable for spiritual growth, few express alarm about it. Indeed, there seems to be an almost feverish pace that drives our lives. …
Because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, be assured that he is committed to helping you navigate your hyperconnected worlds so that you can experience life to its fullest measure. As you walk with him through the minefield of an ever-changing digital landscape, may you move a little slower, ponder a little longer, and connect a little deeper. May you be relentless about creating space—space to see Christ’s beauty and experience his love, and space for your light to shine brighter with his glory.
Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
–Matthew 6:34, The Message
May today you move a little slower, ponder a little longer, and connect a little deeper with the God who loves you. #quarantinesoulcare Click To Tweet
Today’s reading was taken from The Wired Soul by Tricia McCary Rhodes.
What wonderful food for my soul. It is as though I have found a banquet of healthfood laid out for my pleasure and sustainable. Thank you. Moira