For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,

“In returning and rest you shall be saved;

    in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”

But you were unwilling, and you said,

“No! We will flee upon horses”;

    therefore you shall flee away;

and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”;

    therefore your pursuers shall be swift.

– Isaiah 30:15

Technology is a great thing. Few can argue the point that technology helps us save time, allows us to do things that seemed impossible a few decades ago and when used correctly brings the world closer. The smart phone has allowed us to condense many different things into one convent package. A camera, a calculator, a calendar, a computer, a way to check our email and let’s not forget a phone complete with our personal phone book. The convenience cannot be denied, as long as you keep it charged, updated, protected and on your person.

But then there are those times. Those times when our technology slows down. Our phone begins to act a little sluggish like a constipated elephant. Too much this or that running, too many pictures, too many open apps. Bloated information that we probably don’t need. Maybe our phone is just too old to keep up with all the updates. Whatever the reason, in a world that expects instant gratification, we want what we want and we want it right now. When our phone or any other piece of technology isn’t working correctly an overwhelming frustration drives the most patient person to contemplate finding the nearest hammer.

So we ask an expert or call tech support or run to google, if we have another working device available that is. The answers and advice seem to always be the same. Turn it off, unplug it, restart the operating system. That should always be the first step because it’s the easiest and it often solves the problem. 

That break in the normal process, a simple disconnect works wonders. So often in our busy, activity packed, stressful lives, we too need a reset. Taking time to simply unplug from the world is most likely something we all know we need to do, but how often do we actually do it?

The world never relents. It is in constant motion grinding on us, wearing us down, forever taking from us and never giving back. With every year, the machine only gets bigger and the noise, the activity, the pull from every direction on us only increases. 

When the world is pulling on us, dragging us down into what seems like a bottomless pit, the best thing we can do is to step away from the struggle. By breaking the resistance, the tension is released. The hardest lesson for many to learn is to simply let go by unplugging for an hour or a day or even a week. That’s what vacations are meant to accomplish. However, far too many times we find ourselves more tired, more stressed and potentially in a worse off place because instead of taking a break, we packed way too much into that time away.   

When we intentionally take time and dedicate it to the Lord, a refreshing cascades over us. Nothing else can accomplish this because there is nothing else that compares to quietly sitting with the Holy Spirit. Matthew 11:28 is an important verse we need to be keeping front and center. Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  

Is it time to unplug, to reset yourself in the Lord, to take a break from the normal course of the world?