So, so good Hannah! I feel this deeply: "Motherhood forces us to put others first. Society calls this a loss, something to rail against. The Machine tells us that with the right technology we could optimize ourselves out of these demands. But Jesus paints a different picture. He longs to give us more of himself, more of his peace. It is no surprise that we find more of God—the God who emptied himself and took on the form of a servant—when we are serving others. He went low, and we find him at the bottom." I was shocked at how much motherhood transformed me, simply because I was no longer the most important person in my world. It's freeing. It's so hard. It's so good. Full confession: I did use an app to time my feedings for my fifth kiddo because he was my only one born early, and he struggled to gain weight, and I supplemented with a goat milk formula. But I think there's a way to use these devices to give us peace of mind/consistency in the chaos of all the other schedules rather than letting it make us anxious. I see my current generation of parents raising teens with the same frenzied reliance on apps, parents crouching over their phone screens at social events to make sure their LIFE360 app is giving them constant updates about their new driver's whereabouts. It boggles the mind. I frequently let my teens leave without a phone because they 1) have the drive to work memorized 2) can use the phone at work if they need to call me and 3) are in God's hands, not in a fatalistic way, but in a really, truly, if something tragic happens I won't be able to help by obsessing over my phone. I loved this piece, friend!
Thank you so much for reading! I definitely am not trying to make anyone feel bad for using apps or formula if that's what your family and/or doctor decided would help make sure baby is growing well! Totally agree that there's a way to use tech with wisdom. It was just the moms who seemed nervous about their healthily-growing babies, all because of small differences on a timer, that stood out to me as perhaps an unnecesarry worry.
I'm sure this plays out for parents of teens in different but similar ways. Like you say, it comes down to the challenge (but ultimate freedom) of letting go and knowing they're in God's loving hands.
You did not make me or anyone feel bad! You write with much grace and wisdom. I was just trying to be as nuanced and authentic in my reflection as possible. Such good food for thought here, Hannah.
So, so good Hannah! I feel this deeply: "Motherhood forces us to put others first. Society calls this a loss, something to rail against. The Machine tells us that with the right technology we could optimize ourselves out of these demands. But Jesus paints a different picture. He longs to give us more of himself, more of his peace. It is no surprise that we find more of God—the God who emptied himself and took on the form of a servant—when we are serving others. He went low, and we find him at the bottom." I was shocked at how much motherhood transformed me, simply because I was no longer the most important person in my world. It's freeing. It's so hard. It's so good. Full confession: I did use an app to time my feedings for my fifth kiddo because he was my only one born early, and he struggled to gain weight, and I supplemented with a goat milk formula. But I think there's a way to use these devices to give us peace of mind/consistency in the chaos of all the other schedules rather than letting it make us anxious. I see my current generation of parents raising teens with the same frenzied reliance on apps, parents crouching over their phone screens at social events to make sure their LIFE360 app is giving them constant updates about their new driver's whereabouts. It boggles the mind. I frequently let my teens leave without a phone because they 1) have the drive to work memorized 2) can use the phone at work if they need to call me and 3) are in God's hands, not in a fatalistic way, but in a really, truly, if something tragic happens I won't be able to help by obsessing over my phone. I loved this piece, friend!
Thank you so much for reading! I definitely am not trying to make anyone feel bad for using apps or formula if that's what your family and/or doctor decided would help make sure baby is growing well! Totally agree that there's a way to use tech with wisdom. It was just the moms who seemed nervous about their healthily-growing babies, all because of small differences on a timer, that stood out to me as perhaps an unnecesarry worry.
I'm sure this plays out for parents of teens in different but similar ways. Like you say, it comes down to the challenge (but ultimate freedom) of letting go and knowing they're in God's loving hands.
You did not make me or anyone feel bad! You write with much grace and wisdom. I was just trying to be as nuanced and authentic in my reflection as possible. Such good food for thought here, Hannah.
Encouraging to hear this from a younger mom who has had tech in her life longer! Thanks for the mention. God bless you!