Everywhere I go, I see people with earbuds. People with big ear-covering headphones. Some folks have one ear open and the other with a wire running up to it, and others have both ears plugged. Some people just have their phones in their hands or in a pocket playing music aloud for all to hear. And whatever it is they are listening to, it is everywhere —in line at the checkout, while walking on trails, running down the road, in the aisles at Target, even in church. There is a constant stream of something feeding into their brains.
Me, I’ve never been much for headphones. I don’t like earbuds and when I do occasionally wear headphones, I opt for the big ones. Those rare moments are when I want to listen to something loudly at night and don’t want to disturb anyone. I feel like I am missing out on life when my ears are stopped up. I tried using them a few times when I was riding my bike; and even though it was motivating to have some fast-paced music, I missed the sounds of the country roads. As I adventure, I love hearing the birds, the sound of the wind, the waves, and the spring frogs. Mostly though, I love to detach from the constant barrage of noise and just be. Years ago, my friend, Dave Carey, had an old Chrysler LeBaron. The radio went out one day and I asked him if he was going to get a new one or get it repaired. He said, “No, I think I will just drive it without a radio.” At the time, I was incredulous. “You mean drive in silence?!” I could not fathom this. Now, its funny to me because I have learned to practice this all the time (Thank you, Dave!). I can drive for hours in silence — just me and my thoughts. I pray and listen for the voice of the Lord to speak to me in the quiet.
We are so over-stimulated in our culture — our iPhones, SnapChats, Netflix, Facebooks, xBoxes, and all that stuff that demands our attention all the time. It is a constant hum of information and audio/visual stimulation that gets us anxious, happy, worried, discouraged, mad, sad, or glad. It can cause us to fall to temptation or just fill our minds with imagery that the enemy can use as a library later on. Probably the biggest distraction of our time is the cellphone. (As an avid iPhone user, I can attest to this reality.) It is constantly pulling our attention away from relationships. People don’t even take a moment to put down the phone to greet the cashier and interact in a friendly way. We stand in line without speaking to one another, heads down, texting, scrolling, posting. Look around in church — many people are playing games on their phones, browsing Facebook, shopping on Amazon, or just mindlessly scrolling. We are slaves and addicts to them. That’s the truth. And I know, it’s not like it is all bad stuff we are doing! There are great things about my phone — I love posting photos of the beauty of nature, being able to connect with friends and family, send videos, give online, and all the amazing things I can do with this 5” box that fits in my hand.
But I need perspective. Imagine an EMP (Electromagnet pulse) is set off and all the electronics are fried. Nothing works. How lost would I feel? How reliant am I on devices to “help me get closer to God” rather than sitting at my table with an actual Bible in one hand, and a pen and journal in the other? Can I get back to a simpler time when it was easier to hear His voice because there was less noise; less distraction? They say that those who are blind develop much more sensitive hearing to compensate for the lack of sight. Perhaps losing sight of distractions for a bit would cause my ears to become attuned once again.
The other day, Amy sent me an email about “fasting the noise” during the last week of our fast. Maybe it is a good time to turn off the phone or shut off the computer or tablet while you are studying the Word. It’s even ok to shut off the worship music! Bust out your favorite leatherbound Bible and sit in the quiet with God over a nice cup of coffee. Savor the silence and really start listening. Take some time to go on a drive with the windows down and the radio off. Go for a run without your earbuds and listen to your heart beat and the sound of the neighborhood you run through. Pray for each house as you pass it. Don’t be on your phone when you interact with people — truly interact with them! Use the time you would normally be playing video games to truly connect with another family member. Go out for coffee and talk about God with them. Find out where they are and use that time to pray together. Take those hours you bing-watch Netflix and read a book that causes your spirit to be challenged to grow deeper with the Lord.
The Lord longs to speak to me. To you. Sometimes you will hear him in the thunder, or in the roar of a mighty song, or in the quiet beauty of a spring day. Just don’t be so distracted by the noise of life and technology that you miss it. Fast the noise this week and see what happens!