Many people having been asking me how my fast is going. Not just friends and family, but that random girl I met once and that guy who lives in my building and other casual acquaintances. I'm not sure if it's because they are concerned for me or because they are curious about fasting. I suspect it's a little of both. Honestly, I have found that the fast is easier than I thought it would be. Sure, it has it's challenging moments. There are times where it would be way more convenient to send a text and meals where all I want is to gobble up a big bowl of mint chocolate chip. But overall, I'm surprised at the ease I have already found in giving everything up.
I think the part of my fast people are most shocked and curious about is the "no texting" policy. I've had questions from "How do you do it?" to "How do people contact you?" like it's a necessity and there's no other way to talk to someone. Of my fast, it is definitely the part that has impacted me the most, and while my friends may be annoyed that they have to actually pick up the phone and call me, I am really enjoying not texting anyone. I have begun to notice how much time it consumes in my daily life, and how much it distracts me.
Walking across the quad, I could count on one hand the number of people not doing something on their phone. I walk past friends who don't see me because they are absorbed in a text message or liking a picture on Instagram. I look around at the natural allure and elegance of this campus, knowing that no one else is paying attention to the exquisiteness of a sunny day in Alabama. It's sad really, how much of the world we miss because we are constantly consumed by the world we create.
So, let's talk about creating worlds. Now, we all know that God created the Earth. Genesis 1 fully explains everything that God created and the days in which He did it. But I think as Christians, we forget the weight of that chapter. In fact, I think it might be one of the most glazed over parts of our faith. God created this world. Everything in it, from the miles of sky to each blade of grass, from every puffy white cloud to the each grain of sand on the beach; he made it all. Each and every part of our world was graced by the touch of the Almighty.
And how do we treat that? With awe and wonder? No, we don't. Granted, standing at the base of a waterfall or the edge of the Grand Canyon, we may be amazed by the grandeur and splendor of these places. But what about a normal day in our towns? Do we notice the way the sunbeams strike the leaves, making a green kaleidoscope? Or how about the way the birds sing their songs, with no regard to whether anyone is listening? Do we stop to see the brilliance of the stars at night or feel the crunch of fresh fall leaves under our boots? Often, we are so "busy" that these tidbits of majesty are lost on us.
In society today, it is normal to always have your phone present. Like an extra friend who joins you for coffee, on a walk, and during dinner; it hardly bothers anyone when you reply to a text or check Twitter when you're with them. I've seen two people sitting at a table in Starbucks, not talking, both engrossed in something on their phone, too many times to count. I'm sure you've seen it too, and if you haven't, you probably need to put your phone down and look around. We even check our phones every couple of minutes while studying. And what's crazy is that we actually believe that we are "multi-tasking" even though science has proven that multi-tasking is a myth. Brain scans show that we are just shifting our attention from one thing to another in quick succession. Doing this, which we think is working just fine, actually makes you dumber. In fact, it lowers your IQ by 10 whole points. 10 POINTS. That's the same affect pulling an all-nighter has on our brains. In a world where everyone is trying to be the smartest, we actively make ourselves less intelligent. How ironic.
I'm not saying we need to eradicate phones altogether, simply that they have become too prevalent in our daily lives. And honestly, you probably are aware of this problem, but if you actually take a day or two to put away your phone, you'll notice how big of an issue it really is.
Instead of noticing the wondrous world God created for us, we build our own worlds out of social media, virtual contacts, and the newest app. We completely ignore the people currently in front of us and replace them with a screen. We constantly miss the magnificent parts of life because we are absorbed by someone else's newest status or a funny video. And when we are in our own world, we miss God calling us to help other people or to notice the day He provided.
Giving up my phone has been incredibly refreshing, freeing, and uplifting. When you really stop to take a look around, you'll realize that what's on the screen can't compare to the real world.
After all, if a perfect God made it, it has to be breathtaking.
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facts used were taken from this amazing article which you should definitely read.
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