Lost in Space

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

One of my fondest memories growing up occurred on Sunday nights in the 1960s. Those recollections included tomato soup, grilled cheese, and the latest offering of Lost in Space. Who can forget Will Robinson, Major Don West, Mr. Smith, and of course, the Robot. His official name was Robot Model B-9, and his primary job was to protect young Will, thus the constant phrase, “Danger, Will Robinson.” What brought an interesting flare to an otherwise boring machine was that the robot displayed human tendencies, such as laughter, sadness and even playing the guitar. However, what Robot Model B9 is most remembered for is his moments of apparent confusion and informational overload. He would begin to shake, and smoke, while uttering the phrase, “That does not compute, that does not compute.” The human mind is not far behind.

In our digital age, with so much information at our fingertips, I fear we have experienced the same phenomenon. With our 24-hour news cycle, the constant barrage of messages on our cell phones, and access to a world of information through our apps, it is easy to experience what psychologists call information overload. The result with this constant barrage of data is our self-inflicted confusion in everyday activities. We struggle to concentrate on the tasks at hand. We battle to focus on a good book for more than five minutes. The real danger is that we are largely unaware of our precarious situation. The result is that we sacrifice meditation on the deeper things of life, having been bogged down in the trivial. Blinded by the minutia of the moment, we miss the eternal.

The Psalms open with this thoughtful reminder, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1,2 Unfortunately, our days and nights are occupied with the next world event, or some silly trend in our culture.

To combat this debilitating situation and allow the clear skies of our mind to open once more, I would suggest a fast. A fast from meaningless information. To be clear it means shutting the radio off and limiting our TV viewing. Now I am not suggesting we put our head in the sand, but I am recommending a 90% cut on the flow of the world’s information into our grey matter. Perhaps we can back off from checking our phone every five minutes. It is amazing once the mind is clear of all that white noise, what thoughts of the Lord my fill that open space. I recently finished a book on the importance of musing. Musing is simply an old fashion word meaning to focus one’s attention over a long period of time. The Bible calls it meditation.

The constant barrage of information from this world is causing us to shake and smoke. We are lost in space. Choose today to declare a fast, and you will instantly see the difference in your mind. To focus on eternal things will fill you with the blessedness of clarity.