Information Overload (Why I'm fasting the News...)
I enjoy staying informed.
“6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
For a very long time, I’ve believed that historical context is essential to finding a way forward in so many situations; and having current, expansive knowledge and experience in an area of vocation is required for success.
I developed my interest in current events and history when I was a kid. Some came from watching the evening news with my Dad. I have an early memory of staying up late watching Brian Mulrooney win his second majority government here in Canada and learning about the political parties and how the government was formed.
Another memory is parents pulling together the finances to buy my brother and I a set of World Book Encyclopedias. I enjoyed exploring them, reading and learning about the pyramids and volcanoes; and my favourite animals.
(Side story: They bought it from a door to door salesmen; during the sales pitch, an elderly neighbour called because someone had thrown a rock through their window. It was remarkable that in that time it wasn't weird for our parents to ask the friendly salesman to stay with us while they went to check on our neighbour. What is even more remarkable was that the salesman helped my brother and I rig our telescope so we could spy on my parents and the police at the neighbours)
Also, when I was a kid, I looked forward to running errands with my mom at Bayer's Road Shopping Centre here in Halifax. It no longer exists. There was a Coles Bookstore and a WH Smith Books. I spent all the time I could browsing and reading snippets of this and that.
My passion for reading, information and bookstores gave way to a love for libraries. This was accelerated by a need for a part-time job in high school (yes, I was a geek). But that grew into mini-career of 15 years of public service engaging the community in literacy and various other types of programs.
Libraries used to be where information was stored, that's still true to an extent, but now they are more a way of accessing information. It seems to me that taking in all this information can desensitize us to what is important and what matters. Think about it; if everything is important, then nothing is, and filling up on information can lead to a false sense of accomplishment whatever you or I are called to do.
Don't get me wrong; I do enjoy and value staying up-to-date with current events - particularly politics, leadership, arts and the NFL. I enjoy reading books on the topics above and also ready a few of the major Daily's every morning and evening. I like to strike a balance between different points of view and then form my own opinions.
The trouble is (just like when I open a bag of zesty cheese Doritos) I don't have an off switch. I risk spending too much time and energy consuming information and not enough in supplication and in prayer. In other words, getting overloaded and anxious on information and not building my faith through humbly making God aware of my concerns.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7
Over the last number of weeks, the global pandemic of coronavirus (COVID-19). Has been top of the mind for me, as it has been for everyone around the world.
While on information overload regarding COVID-19, I felt partly justified. Our family has been living international and travelling a great deal. With all the uncertainty around being able to get back to Canada, I was taking it all in and reading between the lines to figure out when it was time to head out was really important.
To be sure I have had moments of anxiety (…like when we were denied boarding cards to get out of India, on one of the last flights) But now that we have made it back to Canada, and as settled as can be expected after packing up and leaving our home within about 48hrs; I have felt a challenge to me from the Holy Spirit. It happened a few days ago in the morning. I was reading from my devotional for Lent, which encouraged acquiring information for the purpose of supplication and prayers to God. In this way, prayers help change how the information we consume affects us.
I was left asking is the information, the news influencing me? (Yup). Are my prayers affecting the information and the news? Hmmm. (Nope). They aren't because my prayers are relatively fleeting and not focused; they are general and platitude laden, rather than specific and tumbling out of the sincerity of heart.
But we must be informed. Right?
To stay relevant?
Well, it's a good excuse that I use to justify a glutenous consumption of news and viewpoints and commentary and books. Which when pushed out of balance, distracts from prayer and really makes it more challenging to pray from a place of faith and unbridled belief that God will answer and win the day. If I am out of balance spending too much time gathering information, viewpoints, opinions and commentary; what's leftover for expressing, innovating, creating, or generating new God-inspired information (sermons, songs, prayers, words of wisdom, etc.)?
The answer?
Well, for me, I felt challenged by the Lord to fast news for the remaining days of lent (12 days at the time of writing).
By news I mean: blogs, commentary, news in all forms—audio, video, written., books that are not about current events are still fair game. When I began, it was tough. But after just two days, I felt more restful and having a more in-depth dialogue with God.
Fasting is an excellent jumpstart to spiritual change.
For you, it may not be news that is distracting you or filling you up so that you have no more capacity to hear anything else, including God. Maybe you're not hearing your family, or your spouse the way you know you should? Perhaps there are other distractions?
For me, it's usually politico, NYT, WaPo etc. For you may be: Sports Centre? Insta? tiktok? goop, etc. etc.
My encouragement to you today is fast it and pray even for just this week before Easter. What better way to get a little quieter to hear and feel the roar of victory that we are reminded of every Easter.