4:54 – Are You Becoming Desensitized?

#faithbites #faithjourney desensitized

Setting

Some days you just feel meh and others you are doing well. I was surfing Facebook and just get scrolling. It didn’t matter if someone was sharing a heartfelt experience or a funny meme or anything, it just seemed to blur together. The text on the screen didn’t evoke any emotion just meh. Have you had this feeling of being desensitized to everything?

I saw a meme that said they missed the Tiger King Era of Quarantine. This was back when quarantine and stay-at-home were new. We looked at this as a two-week reset. Now we are approaching a year and I’m over it. I know many of you are. When we become desensitized, we can act in ways we normally wouldn’t. I was having a conversation with someone about the death toll of COVID 19 and they replied it was only .0015% of the population that had died. (The math was wrong it was 0.15% but I digress). When we talk about deaths from war or a natural disaster or terrorism, it’s usually a one-and-done event. We see the death toll then grieve. This isn’t like that. It’s continuous.

Sorry to get a bit down, but desensitization applies to many other things. Are you being treated the way you should be or just accepting it? Are you accepting other’s behaviors because they wore on you or you don’t have the strength to fight? Today, we will dive into God’s word and see what he says about being desensitized.

Today’s questions: How do you remain passionate about life. What can you do to fight becoming desensitized to the world and ot people?

Scripture

• Matthew 24:12 – Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
• 2 Timothy 3:3 – They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.
• 1 Peter 5:8 – Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Reflection

I know these verses may seem harsh or even depressing. The point is to serve as a wakeup call. We need to be vigilant and engaged. When we are desensitized or not sober-minded, we can fall down on God’s commandment to Love Him and Love our neighbor.

Here is an example, I’m not proud of. I’ve been watching church online for nearly a year. I find myself multitasking and getting other things done while listening to church. This is not putting God in a place of honor. It’s checking off the boxes rather than being fully engaged. This is what being desensitized looks like. The worst part is is starts slow and builds. This is when the devil comes in and slowly but surly pulls away from God.

But what can we do about it? We can pray, change up our routines, and ask for help. For me, and it started up as something for Lent, I’ve stopped checking social media at 8:00 pm instead of 9. This is giving me more freetime to rest and not engage. Then when I do engage, I have more energy.

As we close, think about how you are going to remain engaged in life and fight for what is right. What practical steps can you take when feeling blah, meh, or desensitized? Share these with others. Let’s build one another up so we don’t fall into Satan’s trap.

Prayer

Father God, some days seem to blur right into the next. Those activities that gave us passion seem to be just meh. We pray that you will stir up a willingness and enthusiasm in our hearts to reach out and serve. We also pray that you do do not let our apathy lead us in to tempation. Lord, we lift you name on high as we know all things are possible through you. In your name, Amen.