“I say then: walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things you wish.” (Galatians 5:16-17).
I’ve been trying to cut back on my phone and television intake lately and other things in my life that have become distractions. They’ve turned into coping mechanisms and, honestly, I’m feeling tired not having them to fall back onto when I’m feeling weary or even just bored. I’ve built habits of escape. I run away from hard feelings and life problems. When I’m tired or overwhelmed or hurt, rather than facing those things bravely, I turn away from them and scroll through Instagram or watch a few hours worth of tv shows.
As I’ve made an effort to take some steps back and replace them with spending time reading the Bible, exercising, etc., I realize how unhealthy many of these habits are. Embarrassingly, I realize how much I’ve come to rely on these things. And it’s not as trivial as wasting a bit of time. It is often cowardly and is avoiding reality, replacing it with something more manageable. Rather than relying on God, I look to shut off the world for a bit. It’s a difficult change I’m praying God will carry me through. I came across this little section in No Little People by Francis Schaeffer.
“But a Christian is not supposed to need an escape—alcohol, drugs, constant noise and entertainment or whatever. Not that we do not sometimes take the easy route. We do, for none of us is perfect. But this is not the standard we are pressing toward. Both in theory and in practice Christians can dare to face the realities of life unclouded. We do not need these things to fill the crannies of our lives. In fact, we should want to face reality: the glory of the world God has created and the wonder of being human—yes, and even the awful reality of the Fall and the tragedy of marred men and women, even our own flawed character. We are not to be people of escape. The Christian is to be the realist. To face reality as born again and indwelt by the Holy Spirit is the Christian’s calling.”
There it is. I am an escapist. When there is something I don’t want to deal with or I just feel too tired, I want to distract myself and escape to another place. I want to shut off my brain and ignore reality for a while.
Like Schaeffer says, this is taking the easy route. I’m realizing how much I avoid doing hard things. I take the easy out far too often. It’s easier to turn on my phone and scroll or switch on the television and binge a sitcom. Not that these things are bad in and of themselves. But if I’m being honest, the extent I turn to them as a coping mechanism is sinful.
I’m distracted from the wonder of God’s creation; nature and humanity. I also want to escape seeing my own awfulness. When I’m constantly entertained and my brain is preoccupied, I don’t have time to notice all of my many flaws and sins. It’s not easy to step away from all of the various coping mechanisms I’ve built whether they’re inherently sinful ones or just taking a break from my brain. There is an ease in becoming desensitized to my sin and the world around me.
Intentionally slowing down and not filling up with everything around me is hard. Doing so reveals all of my brokenness. My impatience. My twisted value systems. My petty frustrations. My judgement of others. My very thin skin. My weakness. My lack of love for God and others. But I’m not supposed to do what’s easy just because it’s easy. I’m not called to ignore my sinfulness and brokenness. I’m called to do what is right. I’m called to repentance. I’m called to walking in the Spirit. We’re called to live in reality.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9).
This is a well-known verse. Only recently did I learn that God calls Joshua to be strong and courageous three times in the surrounding passage. And it all hinges on God’s presence with Joshua. God is aware of our fear and our weakness. He is not unprepared. His promise is to be with us.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
This a claim of reality. If it is reality, it is one I want to acknowledge and live into. If our God is for us, we need not distract or constantly entertain ourselves. We need no other escape. God is our escape, our joy, our freedom. Life is better abiding in His presence. What we need is not a coping mechanism. What we need is Jesus and the reality of the Holy Spirit in us.
We’re all aware that someone on their phone is generally not paying attention to what we’re telling them. Similarly, how can we pay attention to God if we’re constantly filling our minds with distractions? How can we walk in the Spirit if we don’t learn how to be sensitive to Him? How can we live in reality if we’re always shutting down our brains to go somewhere else? It’s hard. But it’s true and beautiful and good and so, so worthwhile. This is one of the avenues to deepening relationship with our Lord and Savior and learning to live our lives well.
Maybe some call Christianity idealistic or foolishly optimistic. Maybe some claim escapes are necessary even to make it day by day. I know, whether or not I admit it, my actions show this is my tendency. But, my friends, we believe in reality. We believe in the redemption of broken things. If this was based on corrupt man’s ability to fix things, indeed we would be living idealistic claims. However, this is not based on our own efforts. God is making all things new. It is His promises that we hope for and strive towards. It is the work of Christ by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that changes men and families and societies and cultures. It’s not foolish optimism. It is hope rooted in the reality of God with us.
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