A Sunday Thought to Start the Week Right
As the New Year rolled in a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across an idea for keeping Sunday as it should be: Keep Sunday internet free; to be clear, disconnect from the Internet, including email and social media.
The thought was a bit jolting, but the author of the article espousing this made his case quite elegantly. And as the idea sunk it's timely tentacles into my tired New Year's morning brain, it all made a lot of sense. Not only did it make sense, but, happily, I realized that I had been practicing a kind of "lite' form of this practice for a while now.
It all started when I realized that constantly reading "news" stories was mostly a waste of time. And so for a number of years now, my interest in the latest news - especially of the political and economic variety - has flagged; the result being more time for enriching, rather than draining, endeavors. Think about it: Cut out a minute of the latest news and you've got a clean, fresh minute to spend communicating with family and friends. Surely their "news" trumps that flow of woe about crime and misfortune, which flows in a steady stream of woe from radio and TV stations, or the national "headlines" from those internet aggregator websites. If you add in some exercise, spending some time with good books and music, you've got something amounting a real life. Really.
So let's apply all this to Sunday. If cutting down on internet input works as a general practice, eliminating it on Sunday makes a lot of sense. Personally, having already cut down on internet time and email - and never having taken to social media - a further trimming on Sundays made a lot of sense and, frankly, hasn't been all that hard to practice.
But Sunday's not just about what you don't do. It's the Lord's Day. So it's both about taking a break from the crush and crunch of ordinary daily hub-bub and carving out time for God. The fact is, keeping holy the Lord's Day only happens when you rest, as did God Himself, from your regular routine. So think about it: Cutting out time you spend on the internet, and with email and social media, makes more time for God. Simple, isn't it?
Now, admittedly, if you're hooked on the internet, email, and social media, the idea of cutting yourself off cold turkey may seem bit extreme. Even if you sense the logic of it. So the originator of the internet/email/social media disconnect idea provides three reasons that promote his proposal:
"The first reason is that it is the Lord’s Day. This day is not mine; it is His. It is only right that it be consecrated to God. I should be spending my time thinking about Him and the wonderful universe He created for us. I should be praying, worshiping and giving Him glory.
Secondly, Sunday is traditionally a day of rest. It is proper that we leave our daily rat-race for at least one day in order to ponder and prepare for the week ahead. As we are social beings, it is a perfect occasion to visit and converse with others.
Finally, I believe that a true culture can only come from those who take the time to contemplate the meaning of life during their leisure. The failure to seek psychological repose leads to much anxiety and stress. An Internet-free Sunday is my personal and positive way of contributing to a culture in much need of rejuvenation."
Makes a lot of sense doesn't it?
So as we work our way through 2018, I'll continue a practice that's suited me and, I hope, the Lord. Maybe you might give this some consideration.
(You can find the original article HERE.)
Happy Sunday!
The thought was a bit jolting, but the author of the article espousing this made his case quite elegantly. And as the idea sunk it's timely tentacles into my tired New Year's morning brain, it all made a lot of sense. Not only did it make sense, but, happily, I realized that I had been practicing a kind of "lite' form of this practice for a while now.
It all started when I realized that constantly reading "news" stories was mostly a waste of time. And so for a number of years now, my interest in the latest news - especially of the political and economic variety - has flagged; the result being more time for enriching, rather than draining, endeavors. Think about it: Cut out a minute of the latest news and you've got a clean, fresh minute to spend communicating with family and friends. Surely their "news" trumps that flow of woe about crime and misfortune, which flows in a steady stream of woe from radio and TV stations, or the national "headlines" from those internet aggregator websites. If you add in some exercise, spending some time with good books and music, you've got something amounting a real life. Really.
So let's apply all this to Sunday. If cutting down on internet input works as a general practice, eliminating it on Sunday makes a lot of sense. Personally, having already cut down on internet time and email - and never having taken to social media - a further trimming on Sundays made a lot of sense and, frankly, hasn't been all that hard to practice.
But Sunday's not just about what you don't do. It's the Lord's Day. So it's both about taking a break from the crush and crunch of ordinary daily hub-bub and carving out time for God. The fact is, keeping holy the Lord's Day only happens when you rest, as did God Himself, from your regular routine. So think about it: Cutting out time you spend on the internet, and with email and social media, makes more time for God. Simple, isn't it?
Now, admittedly, if you're hooked on the internet, email, and social media, the idea of cutting yourself off cold turkey may seem bit extreme. Even if you sense the logic of it. So the originator of the internet/email/social media disconnect idea provides three reasons that promote his proposal:
"The first reason is that it is the Lord’s Day. This day is not mine; it is His. It is only right that it be consecrated to God. I should be spending my time thinking about Him and the wonderful universe He created for us. I should be praying, worshiping and giving Him glory.
Secondly, Sunday is traditionally a day of rest. It is proper that we leave our daily rat-race for at least one day in order to ponder and prepare for the week ahead. As we are social beings, it is a perfect occasion to visit and converse with others.
Finally, I believe that a true culture can only come from those who take the time to contemplate the meaning of life during their leisure. The failure to seek psychological repose leads to much anxiety and stress. An Internet-free Sunday is my personal and positive way of contributing to a culture in much need of rejuvenation."
Makes a lot of sense doesn't it?
So as we work our way through 2018, I'll continue a practice that's suited me and, I hope, the Lord. Maybe you might give this some consideration.
(You can find the original article HERE.)
Happy Sunday!
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