Despite promises to the contrary, technology continues to overcomplicate and frustrate our lives. Having spent most of my career in the information technology field, I speak not as a Luddite but as an enthusiast. Still, it doesn’t take an expert to recognize how technology has exacerbated, and sometimes even led to, the growing sense of despair and sense of being overwhelmed so many are experiencing.
Social media fuels both the cancel and comparison culture while stealing away the moments we used to spend in the actual company of people or in quiet times of reflection. Our busy lives crowd out any time for God. He exists only in the margins of our lives if we allow Him entrance at all.
To conserve time, we listen to books, podcasts, and sermons at 2x speed. The amount of content we consume each day is more than our minds will ever retain, and yet we are constantly in search of even more. The telephone with which we formerly used to talk to one another is now little more than an electronic leash, tethering us to our jobs and the 24×7 news cycle. Our brains are working overtime and we are quickly forgetting the ancient practices of silence and reflection.
We were not designed to be in perpetual motion or a constant state of mental stimulation. God built rhythms into our beings so we might have time to recharge and to be alone with Him (Exodus 20:8-11; Luke 5:15-16). Sunday long ago ceased to differ from any other day of the week. It is now anything but a day of rest and is quickly losing its status of being a day of worship. Why spend a couple of hours commuting to and attending a church service when we can stream a concise 30-minute sermon while we pay our bills or wash our clothes?
Everything has been compressed, and we have lost all time for God. Technology has both made this possible and encouraged our present reality. I am not anti-technology, nor do I find it inherently evil. Much good has come from technical advances. Anything that crowds God out of our lives though is being used in a sinful way. When Jesus is not first in our lives—in our time, our thoughts, our activity, and our attitudes—it means we have elevated ourselves into His rightful place. Jesus is Lord of our lives, regardless of whether we acknowledge Him as such. When we usurp His authority by filling every moment with anything other than Him, our pride has become a dangerous idol.
Do you still have time for God in your life? When was the last time you sat quietly in His presence and just listened to what He has for you? We are too busy, too chaotic, and too overwhelmed. This is not how life was meant to be. If you need a break and are desperate for a way out of your anxiety and despair, make time for God. Nothing else matters anyway. There is God and nothing else. Put down the phone. Turn off the technology, just for a bit. Reconnect with Jesus and relax in the presence of your Lord and King.