The last days (and nights) of packing before the move were never-ending craziness, with more than a whiff of fear of failure, as time ran faster and faster toward a brick wall deadline.
But we made it.
Then began the unpacking.
Deciding what should go where.
And deciding what could stay in the box until needed. (And where will the box go?)
The furniture placement was easy, per the pre-move floor plan.
But the arrangement of the utensils, supplies, and paraphernalia in both the kitchen and the office is shaping up through trial and error.
“Don’t sweat the small stuff…and it’s all small stuff.”
Richard Carlson, Ph.D., Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… and it’s all small stuff
“Unplugged” Observations:
There’s more work needed to “make the house a home.”
But, less energy to do it right now.
There’s less time pressure.
But, more of a tendency to “veg out.”
There’s less space for “stuff.”
But, the rest of the boxes have to go somewhere. (Did I say the house has no garage?)
What About the Fasting and Feasting?
Oh yeah.
The digital fast.
About that.
“That was the thing about the world: it wasn’t that things were harder than you thought they were going to be, it was that they were hard in ways that you didn’t expect.”
Lev Grossman, The Magician King
The Fast
It’s been a continuing, gnawing, discomfort.
An outright irritation.
And an overwhelming sense of isolation from family and friends.
The hardest part about the “digital fast” wasn’t really the “digital” part.
It was the “phone” part.
We have to drive at least 4-5 miles in search of enough bars to for us to call our sons.
I am not receiving all texts being sent to me; and not all the texts I’m sending are getting through.
Yes, I missed reading emails. And then clicking through to the news articles.
Yes, I missed searching immediately for the answer to any question that crossed my mind.
Yes, I missed the opportunity to download some interesting books while they were discounted.
But what I miss most is calling and texting.
What I miss most is basic communication.
What I miss most is being able to “keep in touch.”
Unfortunately, it’s only going to get a little better.
Too few bars to reliably send and receive texts won’t change.
Too few bars to call and be called won’t change.
The good news is that we will be able to connect and talk on the phone with people.
The bad news is we’ll be back in time, with a land line.
The good news is that Facetime worked (with image, for a while).
The bad news is wondering if the Facetime call will go through.
The Feast
As for the feast.
Not exactly the banquet I had imagined, and hoped for.
The move was more strenuous than I expected.
Physical recovery limits my actions.
Mental “mush mind” limits my focus.
So, yeah, maybe, my feast was more of a nibble.
Digital Fasting
I found others are also discussing digital fasting.
Tony Reinke writes in 6 Keys to a Rewarding Digital Detox, for Crossway:
A digital detox can help direct your gaze away from the digital media glowing on screens and recenter your life on what matters. It is a brief season of life, at least seven days, set aside to intentionally detach from social media, breaking news, video, gaming, and the compulsive magnets that attract our fingertips to our screens. Like all fasting, a digital detox is a way we can disconnect from good things in order to reestablish love for the greatest thing. A digital fast can help us reaffirm that God himself is everything we need.
Of course, nature abhors a vacuum.
So do demons.
43 “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. 44 “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came ‘; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45 “Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Matthew 12:43-45 NASB
If you don’t fill your time with “things of the Kingdom” then other worldly distractions will fill the time formerly devoted to screen time.
Instead, follow Tony Reinke’s suggestions #5 and #6
Observations on “Feasting” on The Word of God
Yes, The Word of God is sweet.
103 How sweet are Your words to my taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103 NASB
Yes, I want to “eat up” The Word.
131 I opened my mouth wide and panted,
For I longed for Your commandments. Psalm 119:131 NASB
Yes, I hunger and thirst for righteousness.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Matthew 5:6 NASB
Yes, I hunger for the Bread of God, the Bread of Life.
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’ ” Matthew 4:4 NASB
33 “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. John 6:33-35 NASB
Yes, I thirst for Living Water.
37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39 NASB
And with each “meal,” with each “serving” of The Word, I am made satisfied.
10 “When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God … Deuteronomy 8:10 NASB
And I bless the Most High.
Life is a journey.
Sanctification is a process.
17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. John 17:16 NASB
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 NASB
Blessings,
TLThomas
For further reading on digital fasting:
6 Keys to a Rewarding Digital Detox by Tony Reinke for Crossway