What I Learned After Being Locked Out of My iPhone for an Hour
You know when you get your iPhone passcode wrong after several attempts and it locks you out for 10 minutes? And if you keep putting in the wrong code after that, it will lock you out for over an hour? Well, that happened to me the other day as I had my phone in my jacket pocket — I must have been tapping the screen without realising.
Last weekend, I was out in the park with my family as they had come down to visit us – which doesn't happen often as I was looking after my son. As we arrived, I looked at my phone, only to be confronted with any phone-addict's biggest nightmare:
"iPhone Unavailable – try again in 1 hour."
As I'm sure you may know from your own experience, this made me a little uncomfortable. I felt completely cut off from the world. Like most people, where I go, my phone goes with me, and being unable to check emails or social media felt isolating. But then, after a while, I started to see the situation differently.
Other than learning not to mess with my phone while it's in my pocket, I realised that I have an unhealthy relationship with it — and I'm sure I'm not the only one facing this uncomfortable truth.
My isolation (although brief) from my iPhone taught me a few lessons about the need for digital shutdowns, or "digital sabbaths" as others say. I felt more present and less anxious, and I was able to spend more meaningful, joy-filled time with my son. He had my undivided attention, not my phone – the way it should be. The moment I got my phone back, I went straight back onto X (Twitter), only to be confronted by a stream of posts featuring people getting caught up in heated debates with others.
All of this got me thinking: if I could be more present and attentive when I was out with my family, just imagine the impact this could have in other areas of my spiritual life. Whether it's more time in prayer or studying God's Word, we need ways to manage our screen time effectively and maximise the things that matter and bring us closer to God.
