It’s hard to comprehend how civilisation functioned before the internet. So much of life is lived on the web. It has become the main mode of communicating with loved ones, navigating our cities, entertaining ourselves, finding work, finding life advice and even finding life partners. As Christians, it plays an ever-growing role in our devotional lives, from sermon podcasts to worship playlists, guided prayers and more.
The internet has done us much good. It has enabled us to know and do far more at lower cost and greater speed than our ancestors could have dreamed. But it hasn’t only done us good.
Earlier this year, I read a book called The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. In it, he presents research linking our internet use to a reduced ability for focus and sustained mental exertion, reduced ability for critical thinking, reduced empathy and increased anxiety. Since the book’s release in 2010, much more scientific research has confirmed those insights. But I suspect most of us don’t need a scientific study to tell us this. We can feel the toll our screen time is taking on us.
That the internet impacts us cognitively probably doesn’t surprise you but have you considered its spiritual impact? Reading Carr’s book, I couldn’t help thinking how our internet habits might be affecting our growth in Christian maturity. As I reflected on this, I concluded that how we use the internet could be the deciding factor in this age between a life of spiritual flourishing or one of spiritual withering, between spiritual maturity and spiritual stagnation.
That is a big claim but you might agree with me if you consider how our internet habits affect our engagement with the three central ways God nourishes us spiritually.
Scripture
The Bible paints a picture of the flourishing life as one where you are immersed in God’s word (Psalm 1) and God’s word is immersed in you (Colossians 3.16). We grow in love, trust and faithfulness to God as we dwell on his word, understand it and build our lives on it. But how can we feast on God’s word when our internet use impairs our ability to focus, to read deeply and to memorise?
Prayer
In prayer, we experience intimate communication with God. We are called to pour out our hearts to him (Psalm 62.8) and wait on him (Psalm 27.14) and we are promised his comfort, strength and intervention. But as our internet habits disciple us into impatience and distraction, we need a vast amount of mental exertion to just hold a train of thought in prayer and waiting on the Lord feels like a near impossible ask.
Church
The Lord Jesus uses his body, the church, to build us up and sustain us through life’s trials. But our internet habits can hinder our enjoyment of the blessing of spiritual family. Impaired empathy makes it hard to “bear one another's burdens” (Galatians 6.2). Anxiety and comparison cripple relationships and our steady stream of internet distractions make it hard to provide the presence that love demands.
The internet can help or hinder the flourishing of your soul and your joy in God. It is a mixed blessing and requires wisdom if we would use it well. Do you feel spiritually dry? Lacking in affection for Christ? Perhaps the best next step is to evaluate your internet habits.
Ending the year well
In four days, 2024 will be over. I don’t know how you feel about that. Maybe a sense of relief in closing a hard and unpleasant chapter. Maybe gratitude for a year that exceeded expectations and brought delight. Maybe even cynicism after a year of setbacks and disappointments. Wherever you find yourself as the curtains close on 2024, I want to share some thoughts on how you might finish it well.
Remember
Psalm 77.19–20
New Year’s festivities provide ample opportunity to avoid being alone with our thoughts. We can distract ourselves with meals, movies, board games, live sports and a litany of other options. However, we do ourselves a disservice if we don’t intentionally carve out time to reflect. Scripture shows us that the discipline of remembrance is vital for our joy in God and faithfulness to him. So, why not cast your mind over the past year and write down some things you are grateful to God for? He is worthy of your praise - and giving thanks blesses you even more than it blesses him.
You might think, “This has been a tough year. The last thing I need is to ruin the holidays by dredging up all the painful stuff”. But friend, choosing to remember can also help you savour all the ways God has been good to you despite the pain. As you take stock, you might begin seeing how your heavenly Father has worked amidst the hardship, bringing blessing, refining and sustaining you. Your lament might turn into thanksgiving. But even for those things for which there is no discernible reason to give thanks, remembering still serves a good purpose as it provides an opportunity for a Godward response.
Respond
1 Peter 5.6–7
The beauty of reflecting as a Christian is that you are not left helpless, even when you happen upon a hurt that bears the weight of an immovable boulder. No, you have your heavenly Father whose shoulders are broad enough and arms strong enough to lift the heaviest hurt. He calls you to cast your anxieties - alongside every disappointment, sorrow and sin - onto him. He has new mercies for you every new day and every new year.
You need not hide or run from the difficult realities of life, the grief or the areas of persistent failure. You need not throw up your hands in frustration. As you reflect, you can bring everything and anything to him in prayer, whether for the first or thousandth time. Why? Because he cares for you. He really does care. Enough to send his Son into this world of sin to die to rescue you. There is no safer place, no more hopeful place to bring your problems than to your Maker.
Rest
Psalm 3.3–4
What now? Processing the past year's joys, sorrows, successes and failures can be mentally and emotionally taxing work, but it is not without reward. Having deposited the year's reflections with God, you can rest. You can enjoy God himself. You can enjoy his good gifts, like family, meals, movies and board games. You can sleep. You can slow down, quieten your mind and approach the new year with a sense of peace, knowing you are not approaching it alone.