Thankyou for sharing this Hunter. I agree with every word. I have felt so convicted lately that I have been on Instagram for 10 years and what do I really have to show for it? Other than an increase in some information, new recipes I make and most of all, an addiction to what might scroll up next. In those 10 years, my kids have been quickly growing up around me. And I know they have seen me absorbed in my phone and not them far too often.
I have often wondered why I am drawn to it in the slower moments of my day - and you have illuminated why. Because we've trained ourselves to need stimulation, we have trained ourselves out of appreciating the normal ebbs-and-flows of a day at home. This just highlighted to me how much retraining of myself I will need to do. To sit with my daughter painstakingly doing her math and not reach for my phone when it feels like she's taking forever to work it out.... just sit with her, train myself through it. To not grab my phone as I pass the bedroom, or not put on a podcast while I fold the clothes. Even listening to things isn't necessarily bad but I realise how often I feel I can't even do a standard home job without listening to something as I do it. I need to train myself to just have quiet sometimes- to meditate on the Lord or pray while I work.
I truly need a lot of help with this. I have no doubt it is quite a hard fight. But I am encouraged that I am not alone in it and that the Holy Spirit will aid me to order my days aright.
Thank you for your comment, Mary. That has been exactly my experience as well. I'm definitely better than I used to be, but it is always a battle I can't stand still on. Always having to actively take measures to prevent backsliding or to make more progress. It's a shame we have to expend so much energy on something so ridiculous. I keep trying to ask myself as I pick up the phone if a) I could do this later when my boys aren't watching and b) if what I'm doing is leveraging the power of the phone for a real purpose or if I'm just trying to escape the slow moments.
Thankyou for sharing this Hunter. I agree with every word. I have felt so convicted lately that I have been on Instagram for 10 years and what do I really have to show for it? Other than an increase in some information, new recipes I make and most of all, an addiction to what might scroll up next. In those 10 years, my kids have been quickly growing up around me. And I know they have seen me absorbed in my phone and not them far too often.
I have often wondered why I am drawn to it in the slower moments of my day - and you have illuminated why. Because we've trained ourselves to need stimulation, we have trained ourselves out of appreciating the normal ebbs-and-flows of a day at home. This just highlighted to me how much retraining of myself I will need to do. To sit with my daughter painstakingly doing her math and not reach for my phone when it feels like she's taking forever to work it out.... just sit with her, train myself through it. To not grab my phone as I pass the bedroom, or not put on a podcast while I fold the clothes. Even listening to things isn't necessarily bad but I realise how often I feel I can't even do a standard home job without listening to something as I do it. I need to train myself to just have quiet sometimes- to meditate on the Lord or pray while I work.
I truly need a lot of help with this. I have no doubt it is quite a hard fight. But I am encouraged that I am not alone in it and that the Holy Spirit will aid me to order my days aright.
Mary
Thank you for your comment, Mary. That has been exactly my experience as well. I'm definitely better than I used to be, but it is always a battle I can't stand still on. Always having to actively take measures to prevent backsliding or to make more progress. It's a shame we have to expend so much energy on something so ridiculous. I keep trying to ask myself as I pick up the phone if a) I could do this later when my boys aren't watching and b) if what I'm doing is leveraging the power of the phone for a real purpose or if I'm just trying to escape the slow moments.