Ordinary Mystics: From Disciples of the Internet to Experiencing Jesus. Really. By John EldredgeSample

Day 1: Programmed for Immediate Answers

We believe ourselves to be disciples of Jesus.

We’re actually Disciples of the Internet.

If that seems unfair—if you repel the idea that you might be a Disciple of the Internet—consider this: You are a disciple of the system that tutors you, where you turn on a daily basis for guidance on living. For most people, that makes them Disciples of the Internet, even if they call themselves disciples of Christ. If you have a question, you go look it up—new developments for children with ADHD; how often normal married couples have sex; memory care for aging parents; the proper temperature to bake a potato. We do this all day, every day.

However, I’m not referring to whatever content it is you search for online.

I’m talking about what we have learned from years of the process itself.

For one thing, the Internet has discipled your soul to expect immediate answers. You inquire and you are answered—immediately. Three million results in 0.003 seconds; there is no waiting. The saints of ages past would be aghast at that. Waiting was considered formational for the soul. They planted crops in the spring and harvested in the fall; there was no rushing things. If you wanted something from the market, you walked there and then you walked back, moving at a pace of about three miles an hour.

But now, when you turn to Jesus and you are not answered in the way the Internet answers, you feel he isn’t listening or that you can’t hear from him. You sadly believe the two of you are distant from one another because your soul has been programmed for immediate responses. The notion of lingering before God doesn’t fit with the pace we’ve come to expect.