大象传媒

Good morning

I was scrolling through my news feed when something caught my eye.听 A picture of an attractive wooden cabin, situated in a slightly wild garden with tall green trees surrounding it. Outside there were two inviting loungers on a wooden deck, and the lighting beyond the large picture windows looked warm and welcoming.听 An idyllic spot to get away from it all.

And above it appeared the following text:

鈥淵ou stay here one month. No phone, No internet. No TV. On the last day you walk out with 100000 dollars 鈥� would you do it?鈥�

And I had to admit the truth 鈥� I don鈥檛 think I could.

In fact, I have no idea how I would cope for even a day without my phone. It鈥檚 the place where I stay in touch. It鈥檚 where I find the answers to all the little questions that pop into my head. It鈥檚 my diary, calculator, camera, banking portal, newspapers, music collection, weather forecast听 - goodness me 鈥� I鈥檓 diabetic and it鈥檚 even the place where I check my blood sugar鈥�.

I have a friend who organizes silent retreats and I sometimes wonder if I could even manage a day of being totally offline.

And that thought is invariably followed by a quick internal voice saying 鈥� 鈥渄on鈥檛 be daft 鈥� of course you couldn鈥檛.鈥�

The prophet Isaiah reminds me that perhaps I need to address this situation 鈥�
In repentance and rest is your salvation
In quietness and trust is your strength.

Maybe I鈥檒l try an hour without my phone and see how it goes.

Drop thy slow dews of quietness
Till all our strivings cease
Take from our souls the strain and stress
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.

Amen

听