“For everything in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions–is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.” — 1 John 2:16-17

I have decided that I am old-fashioned. And not only is that okay with me, but I am whole-heartedly embracing this. Often I tell my husband that I was born in the wrong century and on the wrong continent. Now, obviously, I say this in jest because I know, according to God’s Word, that the exact time and location of my birth and life was determined by God (see Acts 17:26). I’m certain you are thinking, “How does one arrive at the conclusion they are old-fashioned?” I shall tell you.

I spend a lot of time outside at the park. I am there so often, in fact, that secretly I think of it as my park. I am aware of the goings-on there. I know the usual suspects who are out only when the weather is optimal. I feel a sense of camaraderie with the dog-walkers who are out there in the frigid cold and wind of winter and the early mornings of summer before the heat prevents a dog walk. I am well-familiar with the rhythms and routines of my park. Early in the morning when the sun rises over the mountain with its first golden rays striking the pavement is a vision inspired only by the Creator Himself. The skies in the fall at sunset ascribe glory to His Name. The majesty and beauty of creation is ever-present at my park. You just have to look and see.

Yet, daily I am struck by how many people are missing out on the wonder of the world around them because of that demanding, addictive little device in their hands–the cell phone. I have a love-hate relationship with my cell phone. I love that it allows me to connect with my family who are scattered about and that I can see their faces even when we are apart. I love that I can use it to check scores of ball games or look up little facts about things.

But I hate that it has created little monsters within us that fuels our self-worship. I hate that it makes people feel they have constant access to us. I hate how divisive they can be and how people have become more cold and uncaring individuals. They provide a freedom to feel justified in saying whatever they want about whomever they want whenever they want with zero care about the impacts and effects of their words.

We have all witnessed a scene similar to one of these: a couple sitting in a restaurant with one person on the phone and the other just idly there waiting for the person to return their attention back to them; or a child trying to get their parent’s attention but the parents is too distracted on their phone to notice; or in a conversation with someone, you know they are not listening to you because their phone is in their face. We judge those situations in the moment, but deep down, we are also judging ourselves because we, too, are guilty of the same behavior.

What has happened to our society to make us so obsessed with ourselves? We are a world of mini idols running around serving the god of ourselves. We are a culture fixated on the external with little thought to the internal state of our souls. And we are all paying the price of that. Our phones have crippled us and taught us that we never have to be in silence or alone with our thoughts. We can fill our minds with distractions and superficiality without ever delving too deeply into what is going on inside of us. We don’t take the time to analyze our thoughts and ascertain the root cause of our behaviors or feelings. Spiritually speaking, and this is the most devastating to our souls, we don’t allow for quiet spaces to slow down our minds and thoughts and learn to listen for and hear the voice of God, convicting us of sin, leading us, and providing instruction for the way that we should go.

The other day my son was excited about surprising one of his friends with a weekend birthday visit. When he was sharing his friend’s response with me, he expressed disappointment that he didn’t save the video recording his friend’s reaction to the surprise. I chuckled but reminded him it was better to be present in the moments rather than have a video recording of it. We have lost the art of holding memories and storytelling. People are so busy trying to capture the moment (whatever it may be) on camera, that they have forgotten to experience and savor the moment.

Sure, I love pictures and love going back and looking through old pictures. But how much more special is the verbal retelling of a moment or memory. When we are engaged in the moment as the memory is being made, our senses are alive and thriving. What do we see, feel, hear, smell, and taste? A captured image does not tell us those things.

The nation of Israel handed down their history through story-telling. They passed down their story through the ongoing, retelling of it to the generations that came behind them. In the Psalms, the story of the exodus is recounted. Imagine being a child and hearing your history that way–sitting around the table after dinner and hearing how God parted the Red Sea, and the Israelites passed through on dry ground. Hearing about Noah and the flood. I loved listening to my grandmother tell stories about her childhood and her memories of sending care packages to her relatives in concentration camps. There was no need for images or pictures. The images were forever imprinted in their minds and on their hearts.

People were present in their experiences–a lost art in the 21st century. But we don’t have to be okay with that. We can choose to set aside the little god of the cell phone that demands our constant attention and worship. We can set down the phone and look up and be present in the moments with our families, our friends, and our faith communities. We can miss out on the latest Tik Tok fad–we will be okay. Sure, we may miss the most breaking pop news or sports news, but years ago, news spread slowly, and people were better off for it. Our minds and hearts and souls were not created to withstand the barrage and influx of information and news that are commonplace in our everyday lives.

So, yes, I am old-fashioned. I am okay with not knowing every detail going on in every avenue of life and culture. I want to be present in the moment. I want to go to my park, go for runs and walks with my dogs, and look around me at the kids on the baseball field, the sun rising over the mountain, and smell the fresh air and even the unpleasant farm air at times. I feel a sadness in my soul as I pass one individual after another walking, holding their phones, looking down, and missing out on all that is around them. Sure, it is a constant choice to not pick up the little device. And sure, I do it often because I like the benefits from having it. But let’s take care and caution to not allow ourselves to be ruled by that little device–what is gained from the constant scrolling and knowing the latest news on everything? We are sacrificing little pieces of our souls.

Today is the day we can say no more! It requires discipline and self-restraint to learn to be still and quiet one’s self before the Lord. Rather than grab your cell phone while you wait in line at the grocery store or doctor’s office or at a stop light, pray for someone you love. Engage in a conversation with someone around you. Choose to intentionally look up and look around and invite God into the moments. Capture and savor moments by being present in them. Cell phone detox is a thing–but it is certainly worth it!