I honestly didn’t have any expectations that things would be revealed to me during our short trip to Myrtle Beach. The expectations that I did bring with me have all been met though. Rhythmic waves crashing outside our window.
I did come to the realization that the past 7 months have been unhealthy from a sustainability perspective though. With the exception of 3 days over Thanksgiving, every other day has been spent in some way, shape or form at work. Or in work. Or for work.
You see I have a terrible habit of working even when I am not supposed to. And it is not honoring to my wife or my family. And it certainly is not honoring to God. He gave us Sabbath and other breaks for a reason. We can not sustain the pace we set for ourselves. It’s easy to get caught up in the lie that “it’s only a phone call” or “just let me answer a couple more emails”.
I told you previously that I had issues with work-life balance. Nothing has changed. I wish I could say that it did. And now I am much more connected to the e-world than ever before. That certainly doesn’t make it easier to disengage.
I got to thinking recently that maybe I would be missing something if I truly disengaged from the e-world. Then I read a blog post from Anne Jackson who put it into words what I have been thinking. Am I missing hearing what I need to hear because of all the noise that I have allowed into my life? And that noise that I have introduced has impacted the ways I can disengage and Sabbath.
Anne wrapped up her post with the following that I has made me at least pause a bit.
I remember unplugging during Lent last year. A few of my other friends did the same and we shared a similar story:
When we were offline, the things happening around us were so much louder, so much more clear, and we were so much more present in them that it was like God screaming at us – through relationships, through nature, through solitude, through the seemingly mundane…
What changed?
Our input level?
or God’s output level?
—
I would tend to think our input level. We quiet down, and we hear what’s already present.
Maybe my input level needs to change. The reveal may already be there, I’m just drowning it out with all the self-inflicted noise.
Cousin Tom said
Thought one: Remember a time prior to cellphones and email. It really wasn’t that long ago.
Thought two: If someone really needs to find you or talk to you, they will, and likely it won’t be urgent. You are in charge of setting the “response time” expectation. I have a friend who checks email once a week. I still email him…