About six weeks into my DCE internship, I was planning to leave town on my day off for the first time. There was an event taking place at the church while I would be gone, and though I had carried out my responsibilities and left the day’s tasks in more-than-capable hands, I felt anxious, almost guilty, about leaving.
Amid my worried scurrying, our dear church librarian came in. As a longtime member and a retired
teacher, she had just the perspective I needed.
“Katy,” she said, looking me square in the eye and placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “This church existed for more than sixty years before you were here, and it will continue on long after you’re gone. I think everything will be fine if you’re not here for twenty-four hours.”
Her words have stuck with me for years—as I hope they always will. They were both humbling and freeing,
reminding me of a commandment I was failing to keep (and continuously fail to keep). It never ceases to amaze me that God has sewn rest into the fabric of His creation, even practicing it Himself. “And He rested” (Genesis 2:2, emphasis added). Even just typing these words brings about a sense of relief.
In a recent podcast interview, author of The Tech-Wise Family Andy Crouch said: “Sabbath is a circuit breaker for idolatry.” Along with that comes the same reminder my wise church librarian shared: it doesn’t depend on me. If the Creator and sustainer of the universe on whom all things depend rested, then there’s no self-righteous justifying that should keep me from resting too.
Now, of course, Sabbath doesn’t mean shirking responsibility. Rather, it's the opposite: If we are to take the command, gift, and necessity of rest seriously, we must also take the call to work seriously.
As those involved in church communications, whether that’s a dedicated role in your congregation or a piece of your bigger picture of responsibility, resting from digital media isn’t an automatic practice. We might step away from the office, but our devices come along, more often than not.
In resting from our work, we release the load we’re called to carry, admitting that it’s really resting in God’s hands and has been all along. In turn, as we work from our rest, we do so from a place of fullness and clear(er) perspective.
Study after study confirms what we know from Scripture: rest is a necessary part of life. This applies generally, but also digitally. Our minds and bodies were not created for constant screen time and never-ending notifications. Yet that is the reality of life unless we make a conscious effort to turn down the noise and step away from the blue light.
We need a switch that automatically interrupts the current of an overloaded electric circuit. We need the circuit breaker that is Sabbath.
In all of the pieces and conversations on digital detoxing I’ve come across, interestingly, the one that really caught my attention came in a free magazine I picked up at the grocery store. As I paged through the delicious recipes, the word Unplugged in bold typeface caused me to pause. Below that striking word were the following sentences: “Being continually connected can do a number on physical and emotional health and run roughshod over relationships. Maybe it’s time we took a break from technology, so it doesn’t end up controlling our lives” (Hy-Vee Weekly Circular [8/1–31/2019]).
Learn to recognize unrealistic expectations, whether you’re the one putting them on yourself or they come from outside sources. Busy and swift are badges of honor in today’s culture, but are they really synonymous with reliable and healthy?
As we collectively mull this over, here are a few simple changes, or circuit breakers, to ponder. These are
suggestions you’ve likely heard before, but consider them now in relationship to God’s command, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8), and Jesus’ invitation, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Rest is a gift as much as it is a command. In Mark 2:27, Jesus’ words to the Pharisees remind us of this: “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” Let’s eagerly embrace what God is giving us, confident that He is at work in us and through us, but not dependent on us.
Ready, set, rest.
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Scripture: ESV®.