My eyelids drooped as I scrolled well past bedtime, when suddenly I caught my reflection in the dresser mirror—face sallow in the harsh glow of my phone. I half laughed, half sighed in shame. Switching off my phone, I firmly resolved that—starting first thing in the morning—I would go to God first to satisfy me. I would give Him the first fruits of my time, not the idols on my screen.
Yet, the next morning, my resolve had waned. I anxiously reached for my phone, just for a quick check-in. The next morning, I rushed through prayer time to get to my phone. That Lent, I even gave up social media, yet quickly reverted to my old ways with the first rays of Easter morning.
It was clear that my heart had grown drowsy, sedated by the toxic pleasures and worldly anxieties that Jesus sternly warns us of in today’s Gospel, Luke 21:34-36.
I loved the Lord, but was only willing to give Him my time when it was felt most convenient or attractive to me. I could recognize and admit this—week after week in Confession, in fact—but I felt powerless to overcome it.
That is, until one day when a wise priest suggested a new penance: “How about no social media before noon?” Instantly, I felt free. No rushing through morning prayer and meditation for my “fix.” No frantically running first to idols that could only enslave, not save. I was free to meet the Lord without interruption, to let His love heal and fill my insatiable longings.
It can be easy to view relationship with God as a task rather than a gift. To turn to fickle emotions and fleeting endorphin rushes to distract us from discomfort, rather than inviting real relationship with the Lord to deeply heal and fulfill us in every circumstance.
Yet, Our Lord doesn’t seek to satisfy halfway.
He speaks so strongly in today’s Gospel because He wants only the very best for you—for forever. What worldly distractions is He inviting you to “wake up” from so He can satisfy your heart with the eternal?
Our Lord doesn’t seek to satisfy halfway. // @Megan_HjelmstadClick to tweet
LOVING GOD, LOVING OTHERS
A NEW WORKSHOP
COME BACK TO FIRST LOVE
