Welcoming 2019 // Part 1: On Resolutions and Technology

Christmas for another year is now past, even as carols sung, family members hugged, and food eaten (and, even now, still to be eaten – thanks, Mum, for leftovers!) still linger sweetly in the memory. During this precious week every year in which the remaining minutes seem to slow down, and linger just a little longer, my mind starts to turn to the dawning new year. A new year – always full of hope, especially when buoyed by the fulfilled promises of Advent: a Saviour who has come to us – truly God with us – to save us, who is coming back again, and who gives us grace and strength to live for him in our pilgrim present.

I love the “resolutions” bit of new years. I’m not against resolutions, but perhaps think more in terms of reflections and goals and habits… with a generous dose of “Lord willing.” (James 4:14-15).

Famous for his resolutions was Jonathan Edwards. When he was still a young man of nineteen, from 1722-1723, he wrote out 70 resolutions for himself, as a means of growing in faith, love for Christ and others, and making the best use of the days God had given him. I think his resolutions can strike the post-modern mind as rather intense, and to the 21^st-century Christian even as legalistic. But I love reading his resolutions, and thinking about them for my life. You can read them here; or Desiring God have put together a helpful version which organises his resolutions by category.

There are three things about them, and Edwards’ heart revealed in them, that I find particularly compelling:

1. His habit of self-examination. Nobody could accuse Jonathan Edwards of an unexamined life. He made habits of examining every part of his life (and not only his actions, but also his mind and heart and emotions), and prayerfully considering whether it fit with that of a disciple of Christ. He understood that all of him was redeemed by and belonged to Christ, and he took the time to examine his life in light of this reality.
2. His sheer earnestness. He desired Christ above all, and wanted to desire Christ above all, and so he directed all his energies in the pursuit of Jesus as his greatest treasure, for himself and others. I think there’s much virtue in this; it is undoubtedly the right response to the person and work of Jesus Christ.
3. The glory of God as his primary motivator. He certainly has high aspirations for each pocket of his life (and I suspect one would need to be in regular examination of one’s own motives, and remembering the purpose and basis of one’s efforts to keep this in a healthy and Christ-honouring place) – yet these high aspirations are born of the stunning realisation that all of his life was lived for God’s glory (not his own), and is empowered by God himself.

Something else I love is that we’ve been left not only with Edwards’ resolutions, but also his diary – where he honestly records the ups and downs of his life and emotions. He reports himself as being “exceedingly dull” on various days, and other honest reflections on his heart and actions. His resolutions were aspirational, but that didn’t detract from their value. The young Edwards grew up into a faithful minister, mentor, husband, and man of God, and I don’t doubt for a second that these resolutions, flowing from a faithful heart which was enraptured by Christ, helped form the man that be became, in God’s hands.

Edwards is just one person – and no person is perfect. But his resolutions have again been thought-provoking for me as I ponder the quick-approaching new year.

I want the glory of God, who has shown me such mercy in Jesus, to be my primary motivator. To cooperate with the Spirit in forming my character and heart more and more in the image of Christ, and for regular self-examination to help me in confessing my sin before God and receiving from his hand more of his grace and more of himself.

I also want his earnestness. Read: earnestness; not perfectionism that leads to the guilt with which New Year’s Resolutions are so commonly associated. When we follow a Saviour who died to take our sin and shame, and offer us a status of “no condemnation,” there is no room for guilt – only grace. This earnestness flows from wonder and joy at what has been done for us, and a shameless desire for more of that joy for ourselves: found in Jesus, who invites us to come and be his disciples, and to pursue him above all else. Not from a desire to please God, impress others, or prove ourselves. In Christ, our status is already secure. And so, we can cling onto him with an earnestness that only leads to repentance and faith when we sin (knowing we remain children of God), and in acknowledging our weakness and limitations when we fail, but knowing that when we are weak, Christ’s power is made perfect in us. This is our great hope as we face a new year.

Also, I think this earnestness wouldn’t and shouldn’t, in a 21^st-century world, look like doing more and more. I think pursuing Christ earnestly must look like learning to rest well, to submit gladly to his will for our lives, to learn from him who is gentle and meek in heart. It’s an earnestness that shows Christ as all-precious, and a heart that reflects that as it rests in him.

Jesus, Technology, and a New Year

This leads me to talk about one particular area that I suspect most of us would do well to consider and pray about as we start 2019: technology. My “resolutions” usually flow from an examination of the various key parts of my life, and my roles in them. I could talk about any number of them, but I’ll limit it here to one. My use of technology (and being aware of its effect on me) has been an area that I have found increasingly important to consider. It’s no secret that our brains, our communication, our emotions and mood, our relationships, and more, are being affected and shaped by the technology we use. It’s been long posited that Facebook is making us lonely, and Google is making us stupid (and Instagram is making us envious and discontented, and endless access to news is making us cynical, etc etc). And that, perhaps more than anything else, having a small computer constantly in our hand (ie our phone) is making us distracted and disconnected.

This is enough in itself to spend some time honestly reflecting on our mastery of the technology we use. Not necessarily to reject these technologies, but to be fully aware of our own habits in this space, and the reality that we are being shaped by these technologies – so that we can be intentional with them.

For those who follow Jesus, we have another, and deeper, question: how is technology in my life affecting my discipleship of Jesus Christ? How can I pursue Jesus and the glory of God earnestly and honestly in the midst of these challenges of 2019? Are my technologies helping me to love Jesus and serve his people? Or are they distracting my mind and shaping my heart to reflect the world’s desires instead of his (1 John 2:15-17)? 

For most of us, the answer is probably both! Audio Bibles on our phone are a great asset. There are Bible and prayer apps which help many people. You can get rich Christian literature for free, or for very little, on the internet. Facebook (and other media) help us to communicate with people at church, and other people we love. Yet, scrolling compulsively or aimlessly through Instagram or Facebook helps us to neither work hard nor rest well, and often has the effect of negatively shaping our emotions and loves. Perpetually dinging phones are subtly subtracting from our care of and attentiveness to those who are physically present. The demands of technology can mean that sometimes (often?) we are distracted, stressed, poorly-rested, or just somewhat numb… which, in our frail humanness, isn’t conducive to sacrificially loving others well (both those closest to us, as well as those in our church family, or our wider community), or sitting at Jesus’ feet. This all brings a certain complexity to our relationship with our devices.

For me, I want to have my eyes wide open, and to regularly be re-assessing my use of technology, and bringing it before the Lord. As with so many other things, technology is a great servant, and a bad master. By God’s grace, I want to be exerting far more mastery over my tech than it is over me… using it to help me love Jesus and others; and fighting against the ways it pulls me away from this. For me, this is finding expressions in habits such as: putting my phone out of reach at various points in the day (and certainly in the first and last hours of the day). Having a blocker which limits my Facebook use to half an hour max. per day. (Tech helping me use tech well!) Turning notifications off for everything except texts and messenger. Developing better discipline in things like doing emails, messages, and tasks, so that I don’t feel compelled to open up my phone or laptop when I’m resting or focused on something else. Turning off the wifi in the house sometimes. Learning that sometimes it’s better to shrug and say “I don’t know!” to a friend than pull my phone out and start googling The Thing we both don’t know. Telling some of these to others close to me for accountability, and so that maybe we can make some changes together.

It’s a complex conversation – complicated further by negotiating the realities of building deep and real relationship with others who are also tied to their technologies. But it’s a profoundly important conversation to keep having… and the start of a new year seems a good time to prayerfully and honestly take stock of this part of our lives. For the glory of God, the sake of our souls, and to be faithful stewards of the time, gifts, and opportunities that God has given to us. For, as Jonathan Edwards realised, our days and years are brief and fleeting, yet precious - so let's spend them well.