Sarah D. Shearer

There is a resounding sentiment right now. It is that we need to “stay informed.” 

I disagree with it almost vehemently, but then what else is new. It seems as though I am usually at odds with popular schools of thought. 

A few weeks ago, after all this craziness took flight, I was, like many of you, reading Facebook posts like a dog drinking from a fire hydrant. Post after blessed post of newly self-christened medical experts, Debbie downer’s, and just general moroseness. Is that even a word? Then began the tallies.. This many cases in this town, that many in that state, oh god, there’s how many cases in??? in Spain?  And they have how many ICU beds? And now this business is closing, and that person has lost their job, and this person is worried about their aunt in Philadelphia whose husband had contact with someone who tested positive.

Staying generally informed is one thing, but we are on a whole other level, and I ask you, at what cost?

It is… Too. Much. Information.

And it is information about which I can do absolutely nothing.

This may sound callous, but consider this. 

Our constant, overwhelming access to (biased, skewed, probably inaccurate) information is a very recent human development. We’ve had the internet for a few decades now, and we’ve had Facebook and other forms of social media for ten years, which seems like a long time, but it’s nothing, a speck if anything, in the grand scheme of things. Before that, we had the news and that was IT. If we wanted someone’s opinion on something, we called them up or met for coffee or wrote them an email or perhaps sent them a letter. And we surely didn’t know what thousands of people thought about world events at any given moment. Despite the glaring lack of “connection”, we survived, and somehow we were informed enough to live our lives.

Now, this seems like a big attack on Facebook, and I truly don’t mean for it to be. I see great good in many of the features we enjoy from a hyper-connected society. We are all aware of this. Social media serves a function, but any function should be enjoyed in moderation. And we must consider the cost. 

If, in an attempt to “stay informed,” you sit for hours, and your stress level increases as you consider the magnitude of the world’s problems, and for the most part, they are problems you can do NOTHING about— then you may need to reevaluate.

This may sound hopeless or cynical, but it’s actually incredibly liberating, because when I stop focusing on what is going on in Italy, I can focus on what is going on with my friends, family, and those I actually know. 

Unencumbered,  I reach for my phone and text a friend to see how she is, since I’m not going off a status telling me everything is peachy. I call another friend, and find she’s been really struggling. We speak and encourage one another, and I am content. I help one or two people, as the Holy Spirit leads.

Our desire for information has paralyzed us, I’m afraid. We are so overwhelmed, we don’t even know where to begin, and when we survey the whole world, we feel so very, very inadequate to do anything at all.

Perhaps I am too far-fetched in my imagination, but try to imagine a world where FB  and the news and Twitter may exist, and may serve a purpose, but as more of a side dish rather than something we feed on constantly.

I have news for you, friend. If there is something you really need to know about, you’ll find out. Someone will call you or you will see it somewhere. You really don’t need as much “information” as you think you do.

Freed from the issues of the entire world, you can wake up and be full of gratitude for another day, and full of peace, the peace that only Jesus can bring. The Bible says, “He will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is fixed on Him.”in other words, it’s impossible to have perfect peace when your mind is fixed on so many other problems.

You know enough. You know there’s a lot  of bad going on out there, and you know enough to pray. 

Do you need to bury your head in the sand? No, but perhaps you need to be more of a gatekeeper about what you allow to occupy your thoughts. 

Are you anxious?

Are you scared?

Are you overwhelmed?

Did you know it is possible to live without those things? 

It is, because I am currently there, and I am also fully aware of what’s going on.

Friends—I know how the story ends.

I know who is holding the pen.

I know who defeated death, the thing so many of us fear right now.

His name is Jesus, and He brings perfect peace and He did not give his life so you could spend all your time worrying about the future. 

He is trustworthy. 

He has made a way for you to live in complete peace and complete JOY, even now. 

Yes, even  today, in these ‘unprecedented times.”

Gosh, if I hear that one more time.

Newsflash, amigos—all times are unprecedented. We have never been able to tell the future. Each new moment we live in is unprecedented times. 2019 was unprecedented and uncertain.

The only thing that has changed is our awareness. 

So I  implore you. Take a good hard look at what information you are ingesting every day, and ask yourself two  questions:

Do I really need to be aware of this?

Am I at perfect peace?

You can have peace. anxiety and fear are not your portion. 

There is another way.

Be vigilant over what your eyes feast on. 

Feast on the promises of God.

Feast on the encouragement of friends.

And yes, know what’s going on. But I daresay, you don’t need to know as much as you’ve convinced yourself you need to know.

In peace,

Sarah

ps: my husband is the only one who knows my fb password because it was such a big temptation to me, so i know the pull. he let me on to post this.