January 25, 2026
Last night, just as my head was hitting the pillow, my soul pressed upon me an urge to remove Facebook and Instagram from my phone. It’s as though my spirit was telling me it was time for a rest, not just from the day’s activities but from being fed a stream of unceasing unrest. While I never heard the words, that still small voice was asking, “Have you forgotten the Sabbath?”
One day on the Sabbath, Jesus and his disciples were walking through some grainfields on the way to synagogue. As they strolled among the stalks, a few disciples snapped off a few heads of grain and began to eat. Of course, the Pharisees saw this and lost their minds. As though the world had come to an end, they confronted Jesus to essentially ask, “What gives?” St. Mark tells the story like this:
One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
God gave us the sabbath not just to rest from our work, but time for our spirits and souls to reset as well. In this world that’s gone nuts, what better way than to give our souls peace than to rest from the unrest that inundates our screens.
Now, I gotta be honest, it’s felt weird all day not having Facebook on my phone. In those moments of downtime, it’s become habitual to snoop at the latest hubbub. Like going out for smoke but having none in the pack, I had to remind myself to refocus my attention. And just like jones’n for a smoke, giving up social media is like cutting the pack. Withdrawal is real, but it’s necessary to reset the mind from years of spiritual tar.
It’s been 24 hours, and the desire to check in is feeling less and less. Had it not been for my promise to post these blogs daily, I don’t know if I would. In any case, today I’m thanking the Lord for the push to rest from the unrest. Social media has its place, but I’m hoping it becomes less and less.