January 7th 2024
Dear Friends,
I begin the new year with a confession — I find myself misled by my “smart watch.” Perhaps it’s a plot conceived in the dark bowels of a concrete structure for the proletariat in mainland China, though I don’t see how misleading me can possibly further any communist plot. I should also add that I’m pretty sure that my particular watch is made in the U.S, therefore rendering my conspiracy theory null and void. But, I digress.
There are two things that challenge me (that’s pastor speak for “frustrate the daylights out of me”) with my watch. The first is the “auto step goal” setting. This demonic little feature lulls you into a false sense of security by saying, “Don’t worry about getting 10,000 steps per day (the recommended amount by supposedly all health authorities in the know); just start with wherever you are at and the watch will automatically adjust your goal as you progress. Frankly that is just tech speak for “You’re the donkey and we’ll just keep dangling a carrot slightly beyond your reach.” Thus, I do my exercise and achieve my daily goal. Do I have time to celebrate? No! The next day the goal has been changed to something incrementally larger. It will remain that way until the Lord returns or the watch dies (unless, of course, I set a manual goal in rebellion against “the god of the machine”).
The most frustrating trait, however, is not the perpetual goal changing. It is the conflict set up between two other features. One is called the “body battery meter” and measures how fatigued you are. The other is the “activity coach,” which helps you to stay motivated and active. In reality, and on the surface, both seem like helpful tools. But, put them together and chaos and confusion reign. Just last week, after a strenuous couple of days of exercise and a bout of flu, my body battery reading was so low that I got a special message: “Your body battery is very low. Take more time to rest and recover so that you can take care of yourself.” I have to be honest — that message made me feel real good about going to take a nap on Friday afternoon! But then, while I was peacefully resting and doing my best to restore my body battery, that other demonic feature raised its ugly little voice, vibrating on my arm so as to disturb my slumber and then prodding me with: “You’ve been inactive for quite a while; it’s time to get moving!”
James warns us to be clear and believing about that which we ask from God. If we are not, we become like my “smart watch.” He describes it as being “double minded” and “unstable in all its ways.” So, let’s begin the year by eliminating clutter, confusion and instability. God wants us to be disciples of Jesus and to grow in that discipleship this year. What do you need to do, first, in
order to fulfill that goal? Then, ask yourself, do I need to “engage” in something or “rest” from something? To quote an old movie, “More is not always better; sometimes it’s just more.”
Blessings!
Doug