Recently I read the book “The Anxious Generation,” by Jonathan Haidt. My kids recommended this New York times bestseller book a while ago and once I started it was hard for me to put down. It definitely captures the modern day crisis spurred on by smart phones and social media.

Haidt does a masterful job laying out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental health issues seen worldwide. His research depicts how childhood development drastically changed with the introduction of the smart phone in 2010. He presents many mechanisms by which the great rewiring of childhood has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social comparison, suicide, perfectionism, and extreme anxiety.

Oceans Ministries has been working with many who have grown up in this generation and can testify to the truths of Haidt’s research, as we have seen first hand the adverse impact social media has had on young people. Even youth who have grown up in Christian homes and Christian Schools have not been exempt from this epidemic.

Jonathan Haidt would call himself an atheist and yet when he probes for solutions to deal with technology and the next generation he turns to spiritual practices as one of the answers to bring healing to wounded minds.  He quotes from the famous French philosopher Blaise Pascal who said, “there is a God-shaped hole in every human heart.” How we need spiritual practices to help fill that hole that the phone based life use will block.

As a solution the author suggests to practice the following: shared sacredness; embodiment; stillness, silence, and focus; self transcendence; being slow to anger, quick to forgive; and finding awe in nature.  I applaud Haidt for being courageous enough to include this in the book-though he  also includes how various other religious traditions will benefit.

As he goes on to define what these spiritual practices look like I would argue that each one of them finds its roots deep in Scripture from the heart of our Father God. Who sent His Son Jesus to to fill the “God-shaped hole” in our searching hearts.

This past Sunday I was blessed to preach on the Parable of the Persistent Widow and was challenged by the words of Jesus and His answers to help an anxious generation:

“And He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” Luke 18:1

Because of the finished work of Jesus we have been given the gift of prayer. No matter what set of circumstances or storm we may face we can always go directly to our loving Father. At any time we can knock on the door of heaven knowing He will hear our cry for help and answer us with the gift of His Holy Spirit who gives us His perfect peace.

We live in an anxious generation and it is not just young people but senior saints and everyone in between as well. Our phones and social media feeds just make it worse. But Jesus shows us one spiritual practice which will fill the longing hole in our heart and give us the peace and belonging we are so desperately longing for. Jonathan Haidt does a masterful job defining the problem BUT Jesus gives us the only true answer that will heal the problem.

I have been challenged by both the book and the words of Jesus to “pray always” and fill my needy heart with His presence, which is the only hope for an anxious generation.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6-7

I have always loved the fall. The heat of summer begins to retreat as crisp mornings and cooler evenings emerge. Trees slowly turn  color and all of a sudden glow like fire. A new school and church season kicks off and of course football games.

In the Jewish Calendar it is the beginning of the Spiritual New Year, the 7 month. It is Rosh Hashanah.  In fact this coming Friday night this most Holy season embarks. It is a time of reflection, introspection, and confession of sins before the most Holy Day in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur. The day when once a year the high priest gathered the blood of the spotless lamb and poured it upon the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies.

Last month, Oceans Ministries hosted a retreat in Michigan with a group of high school students who recently returned from a Kingdom Encounter in South Africa. During our time together we practiced one of the rituals which takes place during Rosh Hashanah called “casting your sins into the deep.”

During this ceremony a religious congregation will meet at a river or stream. Here special prayers of repentance are recited from a paraphrase of Micah 7:19b-20:

“You will cast all their sins into the depth of the sea, and may You cast all the sins of Your people, the house of Israel into a place where they shall be no more remembered or visited or ever come to mind.”

After the prayer the people would shake bread crumbs from their pockets and toss them into the water. This action symbolized  their sins being removed and remembered no more.

In our ceremony, we didn’t use bread crumbs but instead found pieces of wood or leaves and used a sharpie to write down our sins and spiritual battles. Many also wrote down fears, anxieties or anything else we may have been struggling with, things we wanted to let go of before a new school year started.

Personally, I found a big stick in the woods because I had lot to write down. And as I walked in the beautiful forest a phrase kept bouncing in my mind, “Let go and enjoy the ride!” So when it came time to throw my stick covered with black ink of my sins and fears I did so with joy as I watched it flow down the river and out of sight.

It was so good to reflect on Jesus, both our great High Priest and the perfect Lamb of God, who sacrificially brought His own blood and placed it on heaven’s mercy seat. My sins are gone.  Because of Jesus I stand in His perfection before my loving Abba Father.

This blog would not be complete without sharing about one of the free times when the students jumped into the river and floated down it in tubes. No doubt it was loud, filled with laughter, and lots of splashing as the students relished in God’s beautiful creation. Such a great picture of what happens when we let go of our sins and believe in the miracle of salvation. We can float in The River of His amazing grace with joy-trusting in the Father’s love to carry us to His eternal purpose for our lives.

Perhaps you need to find a river to toss all your sins, worries, and fears into it and let the River of grace fill you with joy so that you can daily live into your Spiritual New Year.