January 31, 2026
Years ago, a couple of times a year, I’d find myself searching online for former classmates or shipmates—friends like Brian, Damon, and Tim. Some I found, but others seemed to have no presence. Like, not at all. I’d Google them, typing in whatever information I knew, but often my searches came up void, leaving me at a loss and missing my old friends.
For the longest time, I wondered why anyone in our day and age would choose to remain digitally off-grid. Honestly, I used to think that form of living was… odd. But lately, I’ve seen the wisdom in keeping a low digital profile, or no profile at all.
If you’re a regular to my blog, you’re keenly aware that six days ago I deleted all but two social media apps from my phone. (And the ones I kept were only so I could communicate with my daughter, who is halfway across the world). While I haven’t gone off-grid from all socials, six days without Facebook (and Instagram, and X, and others) has been freeing for my soul.
Now, I ain’t gonna lie, I’m still logging in about twice a day via my PC—once in the evening to post my blog, and a second time just to check in. But over the last six days, even those secondary check-ins have become less and less frequent. Twice in the last two days, the top post on my feed was toxic. Now I’m seeing exactly why more and more people are going off-grid.
Forty years ago, the vast majority of us had no concept of “the grid.” It was something relegated to the military or government; the notion of such things lived only in the minds of futurists and sci-fi writers. But now, four decades later, the grid is ubiquitous, and it seems there’s hardly an escape. Truly, I’m a bit concerned. I wonder, is the grid gonna be the death of us all? (Lord, have mercy, right?)
Where am I going with this, you might ask? This is supposed to be a place for thanksgiving and gratitude. And it still is. All day I’ve been thinking about this, wondering what happened to my friends Brian and Damon and others like them. I believe they’re out there, and I pray they’re fine. The more I think upon them, the more grateful I’m becoming that they’ve chosen to remain off-grid.
But in all reality, it’s God that I have to thank. He is causing an awakening in my soul, showing me that I need to move closer to the edge of the grid.
Maybe Brian and Damon and Tim had it right all along… Maybe being off-grid is where the soul of the Christian belongs.