Hey friend, is it time for another episode already??? Is it just me or does it feel like time just keeps ticking by faster and faster? In fact, it’s so fast these days that I don’t even hear the clock ticking anymore…or maybe that’s because we’re often looking at a digital clock more than the ones with gears in them, right?
Since time flies, get in the driver’s seat…better yet, get in the passenger seat and let Jesus take the wheel. (No I won’t break out into song at that country song reference.)
But there’s a lot of truth in that Jesus take the wheel phrase- I believe the reason we have so much of a busy and hurry problem is because we want to be in control, but the truth is, no matter how much we want control we can’t. And even if we could, I’m not sure I’d want all that responsibility.
Only He holds the present, only He can redeem the past and only He knows the future. I’m good with letting go…at least that’s what I say I want to do.
The problem is that often I know something in my head, and I even feel it in my heart, but it does not always translate to what my hands (or the rest of my body) does. I think we’ll dedicate an entire episode to the head-heart-hand connection soon, cuz I have a feeling I’m not alone in this.
Speaking of not being alone, I love that women are finding our REDEEM Her Time Community from listening to the podcast…and soaking up all the wisdom we share inside there. It’s a place where we can talk openly and candidly about our faith and how it shapes our time…and how we often fall short…but how we get back up cuz we have sisters in Christ around us. Plus if you’re a member (it’s free ya know) you get access to exclusive content, coaching and conversations that go well beyond the episodes.
So if you’ve been around for a few listens (or even if this is your first time), what are you waiting for? Click the link in the show notes and become an insider…I’ll make sure you know when new episodes drop and share extra insights and a few gifts as a welcome to the group…and the biggest gift is that you’ll find you are not alone and that you’re better when you have other like-minded women around you.
Plus my members get a very special opportunity starting today to grab an EARLY BIRD spot in the next REDEEM Her Time Coaching Program and access special pricing that won’t last long. It pays to be a member of the community and the only thing it costs is your time…in a good way!
Speaking of time and how it flies, I have an important question I want you to start asking on a regular basis when opportunities (or distractions) come your way…are you ready for it?
DOES. THIS. REALLY. MATTER?
Seriously- does this REALLY matter? Will this really matter when I’m laying on my deathbed 50 years from now? Will this really matter in a decade when I’m turning 60? Will this really matter a year from now, a month from now, a week from now, a day from now, even an hour from now?
In the moment, it feels like everything matters (and that it matters equally)…but I’m here to tell you the truth- IT DOESN’T.
On Episode 116 we covered part 1 of the What is Better mini-series inside the REDEEM Her Phone Time Challenge. We started with 4 things Jesus taught are better in the book of John- can you remember them all? (Or better yet, are you doing them at all?) Let me jog your memory and then you can go back and listen- the Gospel, Abiding, Praying, and His Presence.
We barely scratched the surface of the depth of those 4 things which are beyond compare to the allurement of our phones…and yet, we often pick up our phones to engage with what is just merely good (if not less-than good). Those 4 things should make us put down our phones for what is better. And yet sadly, often we don’t.
I challenge you to intentionally pick up one of those before you pick up your phone each day…and you might find you no longer feel a pull towards your device.
Today we’re going to look closer at 4 more things that are better- things that we all truly want and should make us put down our phones because our phones will never deliver. Are you ready for them?
Slowing Down. Being Still. Resting. Living Quietly.
Did you feel the lightness as you heard those? I did too. Cuz it’s way different from what’s become the norm in our culture, even for us as believers who know that Jesus offers all of this and more when we take up His yoke that is easy and His burden that’s light.
Instead we cram every nook and cranny of our day with something to feel productive and purposeful.
It used to be that when I stood in line at the store or at the coffee shop or at the school pick up, I looked around me and noticed- I noticed the woman in front of me and her little one in the cart, I noticed the smell of the coffee and the items in the case, I noticed the clouds in the sky and the people milling around. But honestly, it got to the point that I didn’t notice anything other than my phone- the notifications on my homescreen, the emails in my inbox, the posts in my feed.
So just under a year ago, when I felt that tug to unplug more and more from my phone so I could be fully present with who + what was around me, everything shifted. It started with the 3 week trip to Europe with my daughter, then the 3 week trip to Central Asia with my hubby and then a week of praying and fasting over this podcast and our community and the message God wanted me to share…and now I’m experiencing slowing down, being still, resting and living quietly on a regular basis- no longer not just when I escape from “life” on vacay.
And once you get a taste of that life, there’s no going back.
This is the life Jesus exemplified because it’s the life His Father desires for His people…and there’s no better place to rest in this truth than in the book of Psalms. So for each of the 4 things that are better we’re looking at today, I’ll share a few thoughts, and then read from the Scripture and let God’s Word speak for itself.
If you’re listening on the go, I highly recommend pushing pause and finding a quiet place to just be and let His Word soak in and saturate your spirit.
Are you ready to lean in? Good. I’ve intentionally put them in an order that builds on itself so you get the best results. And it all starts with…
- SLOWING DOWN. Do we even know what slow feels like anymore? With technology updating faster than the speed of sound, and more and more devices on the market that supposedly save us time, I don’t know about you, but we rarely slow down anymore. (By the way, did you know they once thought the biggest problem we’d have in the future- meaning now- was that with all our devices, we’d have too much free time…if only they knew it’s just sped life up to a break-neck speed!) We keep seeking bigger and better and looking elsewhere for our sustenance and significance….thinking that’s where we’ll find our next fix. That’s why we need to put down our phones- cuz with devices in hand, we’ll never slow down. But when we stop looking at our screens, we can look to our Father who cares for us like a mother cares for her children.
I can just imagine God calling us to slow down from running around and come sit on His lap in Psalm 131:
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high.
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with its mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever-more.
- BEING STILL. Speaking of kids slowing down and just sitting on your lap…I remember the days when mine were little and how they sometimes still fought being still when I pulled them onto my lap, but eventually, their mind slowed down too and they were no longer fighting my grasp, but were still. My fav was when they were babies or toddlers and my hubby would hold them close and eventually they’d fall asleep on his chest. That was about the only time they weren’t trying to get into something and as a mom, it was precious to watch. When we slow down and are finally still, we can actually hear our Father’s heartbeat. That’s why Jesus got away from the crowds on a regular basis- so He could hear from His Father. And that’s why we need to put down our phones- because when we focus on who He is and hear His heart, we see how small we are in comparison. That’s why I love being still on top of a mountain under a clear starry sky or on the beach next to the crashing waves of the ocean. It puts things in a proper perspective.
I can almost hear His voice calling to me through the mountains or crashing waves as in Psalm 46:
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
Though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea.
Though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Come behold the works of the LORD, how He has brought desolations on the earth…
Be still and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
The LORD of hosts is with us,
The God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
Have you noticed that word Selah throughout the Psalms and wondered what it means? It means pause….as if He knew we’d need the reminder to pause so we can ponder.
- RESTING. Once we slow down and finally be still, now we can actually rest. When was the last time you were fully rested? It seems that we are constantly in a state of motion all day long running from one crisis, need or desire to the next… and then when the day is done and we want to unwind to rest, what do we do? We put ourselves in front of a screen. Our bodies might be resting, but our minds are still racing…and most likely we’re spinning our mental wheels on things that don’t matter…or worse yet battling our flesh and the tactics of the Enemy. That’s why God gave us a weekly Sabbath and commanded the Isrealites to observe festivals each season where they were commanded to rest from their work. Cuz He knew that we wouldn’t just do it on our own. But the beauty is that once we do it out of obedience, then He can replenish our souls. Do you put down your phone for regular rhythms of rest daily, weekly and seasonally?
I can just hear Him calling us out of the battle of daily living to come away with Him and find rest for our souls in Psalm 62:
Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him.
Truly He is my rock and salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
Yes my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him.
Truly He is my rock and my salvation, He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.
- LIVE QUIETLY. We mentioned this a few weeks ago that Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to lead a quiet life in 1 Thessalonians 4…so if that was a struggle for the people in that time to keep to themselves and not get wrapped up in everyone else’s business, how much more do we need this reminder to not give into the draw of our phones to be in the know about everyone else- what they ate for dinner and what funny thing their furry friend did that day. Our devices give us access to the lives and events of nearly everyone and soon we are seeking to be in the know about others or to be known by others. It almost reminds me of junior high, when it was all about, did you hear what she said? And did you see what she did? And we all know how it didn’t matter much beyond graduation which crowd you were in and how much you were known, right? What if we put down our phones and directed that curiosity about others to truly knowing our God and being fully known by Him?
I can almost hear His heart saying, don’t make it all about knowing others, make it all about knowing Me in Psalm 37:
Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him;
Fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
Over the man who carries out evil devices…
The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in His way;
Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong for the LORD upholds his hand.
Wait for the LORD and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will look on while the wicked are cut off.
Slowing Down. Being Still. Resting. Live Quietly.
Ahh- doesn’t that sound like the life you truly want instead of the hustle-bustle and hurry-scurry? It’s the life He intends for you and invites you to…
If only you’d put down your phone.
And while your phone is out of your hand, I encourage you to read the rest of Psalm 131, 46, 62 and 37 and feel the peace in His presence that can only come when you slow down, be still, rest and live quietly.
It’s the life we’re reading about inside our community in the book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. Hurry has to be eliminated and we can’t be laissez-faire about it…or it will just come seeping back in. That’s why God told the Isrealites to completely destroy the nations that worshiped other gods, cuz if that door was left open just a crack, soon it would be wide open and they’d be right back where they were…or worse under the influence of the ungodly nations around them.
He invites us to do life WITH Him in a way that causes us to slow down and put down the things that keep us distracted.
I don’t know about you, but that kind of life makes me want to put down my phone all the more. It’s the life I’ve experienced more of since a year ago when He started prompting me to unplug and look at Him and what’s around me. And it’s the life that women inside our community are experiencing as part of the REDEEM Her Phone-Time Challenge we’re doing together.
It’s almost like we forgot how to live without constantly moving….but when we do, we can truly see, hear and feel what He is doing all around us, and in us.
Here are 4 quick ways you can experience more of this life- take a long walk, journal your prayers, write out your gratitudes, or sit and just listen.
Let’s pray and ask Him to open our hearts to the slower life He wants for us…
Dear Heavenly Father-
Thank you for telling us to slow down, cuz you knew we’d have a tendency to keep going and to keep going faster and faster to the point we don’t know how to live without being in motion. Teach us to be still before you- to see how great You are and how small we are in comparison. Give us a right perspective on the length of our life and the place we have in this world. Teach us to fully rest in You so that you can replenish our body, mind and spirit and fill us anew with You. And may we aim to live quietly, not wasting our time and attention on other people’s lives, but on the place you have called us and the people you have given us to serve. And as we slowly learn to put down our phones, break us of our addiction and help us to see and desire the life you intend for us that is full of peace and true joy. We cannot do this alone, so thank you for sweet sisters who are seeking to put you first too. And thank you for your Spirit to prompt and remind us of these truths you have given us in Scripture. May it all be for Your glory, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
So, you with me? Convinced there are better things in life that will lead you to put down your phone? I hope so. Come be an insider and get access to the deeper content, coaching and conversations we can’t do on the podcast…and enjoy 2 special gifts from me. Just go to redeemhertime.com/community and we’ll welcome you on the inside.
Thanks for joining me for this episode and until next time, remember…
You DO have ALL the time you need to do ALL He has called you to.
Be available to who + what matters most in this season and in light of eternity…
Cuz you are here for Such a Time as This.
Binge the REDEEM Her Phone-Time Challenge Series
Ep 105 No Time? The #1 Tip to Find 1-4 Hours in your Day for Better Time Management
Ep 106 Distracted by Your Phone? 2 Key Steps for Christian Women to Overcome Digital Distraction
Ep 107 Wish You Could Break-up with Your Phone? 3 Steps to Start Setting Healthy Screen-Time Boundaries
Ep 108 Don’t Live on Good Intentions. 4 Steps to Create a Personalized Phone-Time Plan to Prioritize What Matters
Ep 109 Wish your Phone wasn’t so Distracting? 5 Tips to Dumb-down your Smartphone to get more Time in your Day
Ep 110 3 Steps to Build the Kingdom of God with your Phone-Time as a Busy Christian Woman
Ep 111 Put it down. 5 NO Phone Zones for Better Time Management
Ep 112 Is your Phone Shaping You? 3 Questions to Ask to Be Transformed by God Instead
Ep 113 5 Speed Bumps You can Create to Make your Phone Less Accessible and Better Manage your Time
Ep 114 Don’t be a Hypocrite. 3 Steps to Redeem your Phone-Time (and heart) as a Christian Woman
Ep 115 Download these 5 Apps to Love God More and Make Better Use of Your Time
Ep 116 4 Things that are Better that Should Make you Put Down Your Phone, Pt 1
Ep 117 Download these 5 Apps to Love Others More and Make Better Use of Your Phone-Time
Visit the REDEEM Her Time Website https://redeemhertime.com
> Join the REDEEM Her Time Community (did I mention it’s FREE?!)
> Get the REDEEM Her Phone-Time Guide + Screensaver
> Schedule a free 15 Min Strategy Session
> Submit a question or comment
>>> or DO ALL-THE-ABOVE!
P.S. And don’t forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts to get your name in the drawing for $100 OFF the REDEEM Her Time Coaching Program…coming soon!
