Soooooo January 1

Sooooo January One, here you are. I was pretty excited to open my eyes to you this morning. I grabbed my coffee (always my coffee) and read Matthew 1-12, which took me about an hour and a half with jotting down verses and thoughts. I'm going to do my usual 90-days-through-the-Bible to start my year. I deleted my Instagram for the Five Nights of Prayer that my church does every year, and signed out of Facebook. I have even had my phone shut off much of the day. Did some housework, went through the pile of papers on the kitchen table, put some stuffed peppers in the crockpot, and started re-reading "12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You" by Tony Reinke. And that brings me here.

I actually just finished reading this book, and while I wouldn't normally come anywhere near anything titled "___ ways to" or "___ keys to" or anything else of that nature, b/c usually those are full of secular (even within the church), look what I the author thought up that definitively defines whatever the subject matter is, limited knowledge. BUT this book was highlighted on the social media site of a Christian author/hip-hop artist/speaker who I really admire, and then followed by her 30 days of social media sabbatical, which is understandably unusual for someone who has a new book and recent album to sell. And I have found this book to be authentic, encouraging, convicting, and challenging. I read it knowing I would take its information into my new year and one of my big goals for 2019: redefining my relationship with my cell phone. So I'm slowly reading it again and taking the time to let it make a difference in me.

Here are my thoughts for the chapters I covered today:

I (we) need to completely rewire my (our) brain(s). I have become, over the past 7 years since my first iPhone, so attention-deficit. I am so distractable, so re-programmed to think in these few-minute chunks of other people's lives, that I have to re-learn how to think and work and talk through a day. I have to re-learn how to listen to people and to Jesus, to watch the day go from sunrise to sunset and call it good.

I have to "build a wall" LOL around what matters most in my life. I wouldn't let random acquaintances, or even good friends, interrupt me and my family by walking into my house for 15-second conversations throughout the day and night...but I do. I need to guard my mind, my work, my family, my rest.

I need to re-learn how to follow thoughts through to the end of them. I start hundreds of thoughts a day, thoughts God might like to journey along with me to completion, to comprehension, to insight, to revelation, to life-change....but I easily discard them for the tyranny of the urgent ("Squirrel!") when I remember I need to send a message or respond to one or check how many likes my most recent post got (did so-and-so see it yet?). 

I need to re-learn...to learn. I can read more. I can watch documentaries, go to quality movies, listen to podcasts (yes, using my phone) or audiobooks.

I need to re-learn how to be present and in person. I realized yesterday that I so resist making phone calls...but isn't that what life used to be? Conversations, spoken words, hearing others' tones of voices, making real connections. I too easily shoot off short get-it-done texts rather than in person entering into people's lives and caring and responding and exchanging feelings, knowledge, laughter.

I need to re-learn how to be alone. To sit, walk, whatever...ok with silence and aloneness. I am indeed an introvert, and I do have alone time in my days, but after a certain amount of time, I'm restless. Uncomfortable. I need to be comfortable and content with knowing who I am, what I like, and doing so alone...especially as I'm in the home stretch of this parenting thing (sniff).

There's a lot of work involved in all this re-wiring, but I know it is soooo worth it. It's reclaiming my life, back to what I referenced yesterday: feeling my days to be peaceable and pleasant.

So worth it. Ready.