We live in a digital, fast paced world. If we don’t learn about an incident half way around the world within seconds of its occurrence, we feel disconnected. Ministry is about making connections. Meaningful connections that give us opportunities to help young people build strong faith foundations and develop to their full God-given potential. Ironically though, many of us need to disconnect to build connections that will strengthen and enhance our ministries.
I won’t bore you with statistics or lecture you about the downside of spending time buried in technology. You already know all of that. The question is… are you honest with yourself about the time you spend online and how it is impacting you and your ministry? I can’t give you a number of acceptable hours you should spend online or even on what sites and apps those hours are spent. My guess is most, if not all of us, could stand to make some changes in those areas.
What I will share is how reprioritizing your time can enhance your spiritual life and your ministry. If you give even some of that time you currently spend online back to God, it can give you the time to reconnect with:
- God. Spending more time in the Word and in prayer is something that benefits any Christian. If you are in ministry, it’s a crucial lifeline. Yet, when we get too “busy”, they are often the first two things that get cut back or pushed out of our schedule.
- Those you serve. In that five minutes you spend playing in an app, you could text, call or drop a hand written note to someone. The amount of time you spend in a day or week could free up time to actually meet someone you minister to in person and have a real conversation.
- Your personal spiritual, mental and physical health and growth. Sabbath type rest isn’t found watching Netflix or playing Candy Crush. That rest is shallow. Sleeping, taking a walk, reading, doing something creative, having a real conversation with God, reflecting on scripture, spending time with a supportive Christian friend or mentor…. these are the things that bring the deep rest you need.
- Critics. When we are distracted by our devices, criticism is an unwelcome interruption. It can make us angry, rather than encourage us to really examine where our ministries need improvement and putting in the work to make crucial changes that benefit those we are serving. Although no one loves criticism, it’s a necessary part of strengthening our ministries. When our focus is on connecting with our devices instead of our critics, our ministries will be a pale shadow of what God intended them to be.
I’m not saying you can never stream your favorite show or play a couple of rounds of your favorite game or read social media posts. What we all need to do, however, is really decide where the line is between a quick mental break and hampering our ministries. Because that makes all the difference in the world to those we serve.