This Winter Season Is Calling You To Slow Down

December 15, 2025

Ah, slow living… a way of experiencing day to day life that I profess to live out and find enjoyment in, but at the same time think I have seldom experienced. I want to live a slow and quiet life. I want to be able to say I lived a meaningful life with my heart and mind focused on the right things. I want to make time and space in my everyday existence to grow and develop into who God wants me to be. I want to live everyday in light of eternity, making the most of the days God has so graciously laid out for me. But, do I live this way? Are my actions and how I spend the minutes and hours of my day a reflection of these deep desires inside of me? I’d say the answer is no and has been up until this point.

It truly baffles me how we as people can understand something to be satisfactory or ideal, and then completely ignore or go against it. I know that technology has become a hindrance in my life, but yet I spend so much of my time on it, and I can’t seem to break free from its bonds. We know it to be a trap, and yet everyday we walk right into it and get tangled in its web. I’ve heard it said that we will all be slaves to something in this life. What are you a slave to?

It gives me chills and fills my heart with remorse when I think about how the minutes we spend on technology add up to days and even years that we’ll never get back. I think of the person I would be had I devoted these countless hours into spending time in God’s Word, experiencing nature, developing a skill, reading or studying a particular subject, working with my hands, or pouring into the relationships in my life. I don’t want to know the kind of person I could have been right now had I never spent meaningless hours in front of a screen. What I do know is that I don’t want to continue down this path of diminished growth and lessened opportunity. I don’t want to experience life halfway. I don’t want to grow old and think of all the moments I could have cherished, extra memories I could have made, the lives I could have impacted, and the talents I could have cultivated. I think I’m waking up to the reality that technology is a master, and we’ve all become its slaves. 

Recently, my husband, Joel, and I were talking about this idea of slowing down and living more intentionally. I was telling him of my desire to grow closer to the Lord and to hear from Him more clearly. Joel brought up the story of Elijah to me that takes place in 1 Kings chapter 19. Elijah is fleeing for his life after killing the prophets of Baal, and he fled to Mount Horeb. There he inquired of the Lord, and God said that He would pass by Elijah on the mountain. There came great winds, a powerful earthquake, and a roaring fire, but God was not in any of these things. It was after the calm came that God spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper. Elijah heard from God in the silence. This story convicted me and was the gentle reminder I needed that if I am letting the noise of this world constantly fill my mind, then I won’t be able to hear from God where His voice is heard best… in the silence. 

The pull of technology is strong, the desire to scroll and consume is addicting, the promises that screens make is alluring, and the pressure to stay informed and plugged in is demanding. How can we rise up and face the temptations of screens, and not only spend less time on technology, but find true victory and freedom from the bonds it has on us? How can we finally overcome the dependency we have on these life sucking, time wasting devices, that we have unknowingly let become our earthly masters? How do we stand up to technology once and for all and begin to truly experience life outside of a screen and regain a bit of what we have lost to it? Well friend, unfortunately I haven’t found the solution yet, but I’m working on it. I believe it’s a personal journey we all need to embark on to hear what God has to say to us and to discover the person He wants us to become. I’m a wife and a mom now, and I have never felt the pressure to unplug, slow down, and cherish life’s big and little moments like I do now. I want to live in light of eternity and not waste any more time scrolling my life away. 

I believe this winter season is the perfect time to begin the journey of putting the screens away, and inviting real life in. Winter is the season where God is gently reminding us to slow down. The days are shorter and darker, the earth is frozen and plants are dormant, everything is under a blanket of snow, and we often can’t get outside and go about our normal activities. The quiet chill of winter time can pressure us into laziness, wasting time watching shows and movies, and distracting ourselves in hopes that spring will come quicker. But was this God’s intent for how we are to spend this season? God created the four seasons to exist and rotate for as long as the Earth endures, and He called it good. God is also a God of rest, as He created the Sabbath and called it holy. He created the world with its own season of rest… winter. And as part of God’s creation, we are to follow this natural design and embrace this season He has created for us as a time to rest and recharge. How will you use this season?

I know the lure of technology is strong, and in many ways we’ve become numb to its consumption of our time, but I want to invite you to take an honest look at your screen usage and ask yourself how you might use that time better. I believe in this day and age, we could all use a little less of technology’s influence and more true connection, laughter, creativity, patience, reflection, and time with God. This winter season is calling you to slow down and embrace rest in its truest form: watching the sunrise, observing the snow fall, pondering the majesty of God’s creation, cultivating gratitude, reading and journaling, having a cup of hot tea, breathing in the brisk air, spending time in prayer, having heart to heart conversations with loved ones, playing with your children, creating holiday traditions, and enjoying life where you are, in real time. Memories aren’t created in time spent scrolling. Personal development isn’t found from technology’s influence. Friendship and life-giving relationships aren’t built through social media. Contentment and joy aren’t fostered behind screens where we are comparing ourselves to the perfectly curated online presence of content creators. Peace isn’t found in the clamor of news, podcasts, tv shows, music, and videos. And God’s voice isn’t heard clearly in the constant noise we expose ourselves to. It’s time to slow down this winter, to rest, recharge, and reevaluate how we can better spend our time moving into the next year. 

This journey will look different for everyone, but I want to encourage you to challenge yourself and just start. Start small. Start somewhere. Create a goal, limit yourself, delete an app, involve a friend, or whatever it may take to make a change and actually see results. This isn’t just about bettering ourselves in some small way, this is about completely changing our life around, living in God’s purpose, returning to a slow paced life, experiencing true connection again, and waking up to the harm and hindrance that technology has become toward us all. I want to see a change in this generation, a revival, a waking up to what we’ve lost. I hope this inspires you to put your phone down, turn off the TV, lay technology aside for a while, and listen for the silence, be lost in the awe and wonder of life, make memories with your loved ones, be ready to hear God’s voice, and truly experience a slow paced, quiet, and intentional life.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10