Beyond the Internet: A Follow Up to Choices, Clutter, and the Catholic Young Woman

Moderation, in all things, is an admirable goal.

 Jane Austen, whose many characters exemplified that virtue - or lack thereof - readily illustrated the fact in her writing. No doubt the humble authoress herself held and practiced that belief whether about a cup of tea or the recounting of a story. 

 I had just read Laura's spot-on post about the clutter and multitude of choices with which we are daily presented with and found myself agreeing with her points. Later on that day, I picked up a birthday present from a dear friend: a book about none other than the wise and impeccable Jane, entitled A Jane Austen  Devotional, by Steffany Woolsey.  It is a charming little book that serves as a " beautiful devotional, brimming with the wit and wisdom of Jane Austen and the timeless truths of Scripture." 

  Imagine my great amusement when I opened it to where I had left off and turned the page to a section on "The Virtue of Steadiness." It began with a passage from Austen's novel Emma in which the title heroine is young, rich, beautiful, talented, but spoiled . Emma Woodhouse is thoroughly convinced of her own wisdom and matchmaking skills, but fails to realize she lacks steadiness and diligence. The book's devotional section, offered after the passage quote, explains: "It is important for women today as in Jane Austen's day to develop discipline and steadiness in character. (Hmm, really? Dear me...society doesn't seem to think so.) 

 Proverbs 4:23 says, "With closest custody (diligence), guard your heart, for in it are the sources of life."  The book goes on to say, "Make no mistake: the choices that govern your time have direct bearing on the way you lead your life."

 Very true words and ones I can apply to my own life! The next passage echoed Laura's sentiments perfectly: "Do you check e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter daily (perhaps even hourly)? Are more beneficial disciplines  - like time spent in prayer, time with your spouse or children (family), time spent serving and blessing others - being disrupted or even put on the back burner?" 

 I underlined these and the following lines because they spoke deeply to me. In our digital world, where we're connected with the click of a button, the Tweet of a thought, and the slide of a finger, it's easy to fill every moment of our actual, tangible reality with technology and illuminated screens. But these words - and even Jane's books in which her characters dedicated a specific time for "socializing hours" - reminded me that we should not let technology, this "staying connected" phenomenon, rule and shape every hour of our day, or our lives. The concluding lines issued a challenge: "Perhaps it is time to examine what activities and interests you let dominate your waking minutes and hours. Pray about how to best spend your time...and then chose wisely."

 Wise words indeed and ones that fit in well with recent ponderings of mine. Like Laura, I've contemplated the whizzing network the world is plugged into - and examined myself more carefully. For example, I recognize the urge I have to check Facebook first thing in the morning is not one I should foster more than a desire to spend quiet time with God and reading His Word.  While Facebook is not evil per se, neither is it the greatest good. Nor does it need to be my first priority upon waking. There is absolutely no reason that I need to read about other people's business in their personal lives. Sorely tempting as I might be to do so - who doesn't enjoy catching up on what your friends and loved ones are doing/saying? [and I'm not in any way saying that such a desire is bad] -  I know my time can be better spent deepening my relationship with Christ each morning. 

 Yes, it may sound slightly cheesy at first....but deep in our hearts, we all want that kind of relationship with Him. We want the strings of our hearts tied to His. We want to know Him fully, bring our confusion and pain and disappointment and bitterness and hopes and dreams to him. We want to know Him, like we know our mom, our sibling, our best friend, our significant other. 

 So one goal I am working towards is establishing a morning devotional...devoting the beginning of my day to God. Enjoying both a cup of coffee and a cup of His grace. I don't want to look back and remember that  Facebook, Pinterest, or even my favorite blogs stood higher on my priority list. 

At the end of the day, I want to have started my day by reaching for the Bible. 

Not the computer.