“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” –John 10:10 NIV

It’s one thing to “waste” time on our phones—it’s another thing entirely to realize we are willingly taking part in the systems, schemes and algorithms the enemy uses to pull us out of the present moment.

If a smart watch tracked your emotions as it does your steps or heart rate, what percentage of your day would track as “being present?” How much would track as “distracted,” “insecure,” “stressed,” or _______?

I am guessing the “present” portion would be a lot less than we’d hope.

C.S. Lewis writes in his widely acclaimed book, The Screwtape Letters: “The present is the point at which time touches eternity.”

If the enemy can distract us from the present moment—by making us anxious about the future, pushing us to ruminate on the past, or simply filling our time distracted by cute videos— we will miss out on discovering “life, and life to the full,” just as John 10:10 describes.

Creating Boundaries to Protect Our Present Moment

Just a few hours after I gave birth to my second daughter, Piper, I began texting people
the glorious news about our healthy baby. Before I knew it, an hour had passed and I hadn’t once looked down to admire the sleeping bundle of perfection breathing peacefully on my chest.

It’s important to fill our community in, but was it essential to do this right after Piper was born? What did this immediacy cost me and JJ? What would those precious moments have been like if our phones weren’t in our hands?

It goes without saying, but phones are not inherently bad. They allow us to stay connected, document moments, look up recipes, discover, learn, and more: yet our phones are also gateways to distraction.

After I realized what I’d done, I looked at JJ and confessed with some sadness, “I wish we waited until the morning to send out these texts. I wish you and I could have soaked in this moment for ourselves first.”

Our phones conveniently allowed us to share our news, but had they also limited an element of “life and life to the full” that God desired for me and JJ to experience? I believe our phones (and everything we do on them) have created a habit that hinders our ability to experience fullness the way Jesus intended.

Personal Examples from My Life

• Playing with my daughter Blakely but longing for her to be distracted so I can grab my phone and not feel bad about checking it right in front of her INSTEAD OF being present—knowing that being with her is exactly where I want to be.
• Texting people back or scrolling on social media while breastfeeding INSTEAD OF taking a moment to slow down and let my mind rest, or pray over Piper’s future.
• Grabbing my phone the second my friend gets up to use the restroom INSTEAD OF processing what she shared and thinking of thoughtful follow-up questions.
• Checking my phone moments after guests leave INSTEAD OF reflecting over our conversations and delighting in spending time with people we love.
• Having a rare free night to myself and spending the entirety of it on my phone INSTEAD OF reading a book, journaling, praying, going to bed early, or really anything else.

These moments haven’t been entirely ruined by any means, but I believe there is depth being left unclaimed because of my tendency to grab my phone so frequently.

Living in an “Attention Economy”

We live in an ‘attention economy’ where the most valuable asset is our attention. Billions of dollars are spent each year to learn how to capture our attention—making us addicted to our screens—instead of the beauty, rest, and joy God intends for us to experience in His created world.

The entirety of John 10:10 states, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

I pray our eyes can be opened open to how “wasting” time on our phones isn’t just a distraction—but rather a tool the enemy uses to disciple us into the image of the world rather than Jesus.

Just as the verse says the enemy wants to steal, kill and destroy, he also wants to numb, distract and isolate.

As believers, there is so much more for us, and I pray we can learn how to use our phones as a tool in our discipleship to Jesus rather than passively allowing the enemy to use them for his own agenda.

*If you are looking for a guide to walk you through this process of discovering life to the full and creating more space from digital distraction, check out our free 4-part Guide called: Reclaiming Attention! Simply click the button below and you will get it sent to your inbox!