Notifications

Allow notifications.

Set to notify me.

Time to stand.

Only x number of calories to hit your move goal today! You can do it! Only x number of minutes left in your exercise goal today. This is doable.

Allow a lighthearted video:

This video actually got me to thinking. I do not have the level of relationship with my Apple Watch as she does, haha, but we (my watch and I) have had to set boundaries on the notification levels I receive. At first, I could be receiving notifications from every application on my phone. Michaels began sending me notifications, so that helped me to do some necessary culling of apps. Ha.

Anyway, notifications. Every hour I do ask my watch to remind me to stand and move around. Here’s what also happens. It reminds me to pray and take deep breaths. I allow my notifications to not control me, but me control my notifications.

I have also started paying very close attention to the amount of time I am spending on social media and setting a time limit each day. On IPhones, in the settings, you can set a time limit. Once I’ve hit the limit, I’m cut off.

Why?

I began to realize that the voice that was being silenced was the Voice I needed most of all.

Jesus.

The true Voice that was so precious to me and I bet, if you are reading this, is precious to you, we want to hear more than anything. And yet, with our phones, tablets, TVs, we have unwittingly drowned out his voice.

So how do we begin again? Take small steps with big dividends.

Start our days with our phones away from us. Just our Bible, journal, and His Presence. This is one that I cannot emphasize enough. The times I have opened my phone before my time with Jesus, peace has left (read texts, etc.)

Shut down our phones at night at a designated time. I have teenagers so I do keep my phone at my side, and their numbers are allowed through at all hours. Otherwise, do not disturb is on. We need rest. Our bodies need rest at night without notifications dinging.

Hands open. Quiet before him. Ready to listen. Set a timer for five minutes. Just to listen. His notifications. Not your phone.

Jesus.

Wild, right?