I’m swirling in a digital whirlpool.
One of my filter softwares recently changed parameters. Unsuspectingly I woke up to 3,957 junk emails from lists I at one time naively subscribed to.
No joy that morning.
The “unsubscribe” button and I now live life joined at the hip. We drink coffee together in the morning. Share a sandwich at lunch. Spend a few minutes communing before the eyelids fall.
It takes 3 clicks on average to stop receiving something I formerly wanted. Once on the email. Once on the webpage. Then once more to confirm I didn’t accidentally click “Please stay out of my inbox forever.”
What would you love to unsubscribe from in real life? COVID-19? Wondering when (if?) you’ll get a job offer? Chemo treatments? A husband who keeps belittling you? A son who hasn’t called in years? A bank account that hovers around $0?
How many times have you clicked “Please stay out of my inbox forever,” but no one’s monitoring the back end. No one’s responding to your request. Every morning, same joyless message.
Yeah. No fun.
Thankfully my morning inbox also includes reminders of joy.
God’s beauty in nature. The silver-white of aspens. The turquoise blue of the Caribbean. The ranging hues of humanity from Madagascar to Brazil to Sweden by way of China. The way my kids look like me…or my wife…or both.
God’s grace and forgiveness in Jesus. Releasing me of my thoughtless words just before bed. Eternally forgetting my self-centered personality. Gifting me with family who bring this grace to me repeatedly.
God’s presence in my life in His Holy Spirit. A divine seal guaranteeing an eternal relationship with Him. A promise added to my calendar on my baptism day. A constant praying voice for my every need.
What other sources of joy does Jesus daily send you?
One day I’ll be all done unsubscribing. Until then I’ll spend time each day in the joy side.