My phone asked, “Do you want to delete the app, or remove it from your home screen?” It’s basically asking, do I really want to delete it and all its data, or just hide it from sight?
I chose, “Delete the app.”
This was back in September when I deleted most of the social media apps off my phone. I had spent a week on vacation, but it wasn’t very relaxing. Because a couple of days before I left, Charlie Kirk was assassinated. It seemed everyone had an opinion, whether they knew him or not. Friends on both sides of the political and theological spectrum dove into the polemic conversation . . . arguments abounded.
I tried to calm the rhetoric and bring nuance. I only managed to increase my grief and stress. I realized this after four days into my vacation, wondering why I hadn’t managed to relax and enjoy myself. Then, it dawned on me. I was “on vacation,” yet I was spending all this free time engaging with some of the most toxic aspects of social media.
Something needed to be done. My conclusion was to delete the apps. So, I did. And I found it freeing. Recently, I deleted the rest. I still have access on my computer, but it’s no longer as simple as taking my phone out of my pocket when I’m standing in line or sitting on the couch.
Since deleting them all, I’ve noticed a change. I’m less stressed in the anxiety-inducing way. I sleep better. I’m able to focus more on what’s in front of me and what’s happening around me. I read more news (I have a decently balanced news curation). I feel less distracted by things designed to get clicks through emotional responses.
I wonder, maybe this is a good reason for Lent in the modern world. Most of us know Lent as that season of 40 days (not including Sundays) leading up to Easter. It’s a season of refocusing on Jesus Christ, repentance, and turning away from those unhealthy and sometimes sinful things that distract us from God. Most of all, it’s a time of preparation for Easter.
In order to make the most of the Easter celebration, the historic church has tradition of prayer and fasting. Prayer being the most important by spending intentional time talking and listening to God and reading scripture. Fasting is by giving up something we otherwise might overindulge. It used to be food. People would fast food and the money they would save would be donated to the church to help feed the poor. Today, we can still fast food, or alcohol, or tobacco and its ilk, or even social media.
Simultaneously, at First Church Springdale, we’re beginning a new worship series called “We Believe.” This comes from the questions of what do we believe as Christians? What are the very basics, the foundations of our faith, that all Christians have in common?
There are a number of people new to us, and out in the world, that know almost nothing about God, or what we believe, or why we believe what we believe. Even if we are lifelong believers, we often struggle to articulate our faith in a coherent or concise way.
Therefore, whether you are brand new to the church and exploring what it means to have faith, or a lifelong Christian comfortable in your faith, this series will help you grow in that faith and knowledge.
So, I invite you to observe Lent with me in a healthy way. How can you make more time to think on the things of God? And just as important, I encourage you to invite someone to worship with you. I believe that by exploring what we believe will help us all be better Christians and followers of Jesus Christ.
Grace and Peace,
Daniel
