Rev. Corey Meyer, Director of Mission Partnerships
It was three full days of “no service.”
When I realize I am digitally disconnected from world a slight panic mode ensues. At first it’s a lonely feeling because I spend my life 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year connected to the world through the technology of my cell phone and internet. The what ifs start creeping into mind about who may need to get ahold of me, what if there is an emergency, what if I need to reach out to somebody. I start to wonder about what I will be missing on Facebook and Instagram, what’s going to happen in the news cycle that I won’t immediately be informed about, how I won’t get to show my friends what I am doing on Snapchat.
All the anxiety and nervousness about being disconnected lasted for like, 10 minutes. I got over it pretty quickly, which clued me into something I hadn’t been aware of as we made our way down to Table Rock Lake for the 4th of July festivities. I needed – actually I was thirsty – to just simply be for a couple days. I left my cell phone on the bed-side table in the morning and walked out the door to embrace the world unfiltered and uninterrupted.
It is incredible what we hear and see when we’re out in the world without any distractions. In the woods we could hear the Earth talking through the sounds of the winds and the birds chirping. On the water we could hear the stories that the lake was telling. At meals the conversation was beautiful and at night the joy of kids laughing and playing filled our hearts. It was everything I needed in that moment to pause, take a breath, and enjoy the world that God has been creating around us.
If you’re like me, you wouldn’t have just simply put your cell phone away if you weren’t forced to, but I’m so grateful it happened. Because even when we’re on vacation or taking time away we need to be encouraged to really be present with world and people directly surrounding us. It takes moments to be disconnected from one world to be fully connected to the world of God around us.
