Rapid commutes, instant communication, and living in a faster, smaller world has made us masters at multi-tasking. But for all that we are able to easily and readily accomplish, how much of it is done hastily and without much thought?

We are in danger of becoming surface-people: People who so quickly skim and scan over so many things that we rarely allow ourselves time to truly sink into the deep parts of our conversations, our relationships, and our spiritual reflections. Yes, the COVID-19 Pandemic forced us to slow down in certain areas, but in other ways, it made us a more virtual people than ever before. The time it takes you to get to your next appointment or important meeting could simply be the amount of time it takes you to log onto Zoom or Skype. Schools and churches are meeting virtually, allowing us to quickly gain access to the knowledge we need or desire, and then move along. 

Without ever slowing down, without a time of deliberate reflection, we risk becoming more and more shallow— shallow friends and shallow believers with shallow experiences. This is the opposite of what we are called into as we seek to follow Christ.

When the rich man came to Jesus and asked how he could become a follower, Jesus told him to sell everything he owned. It’s easy to hear this statement and think that Jesus was anti-wealth, but He wasn’t. The point of Jesus’ command to the rich man was that if he truly wanted to follow Jesus, it couldn’t be a shallow experience. It couldn’t be just another thing he dipped his toe into as he continued to acquire and amass many other things. Jesus was saying, if you want to follow me, you’ve got to jump all the way in, with both feet, into the deep end.

Where is it that we are not diving in deeply enough? In a life filled with quick, shallow experiences and encounters, where is Christ telling us to go deeper?

In a fast-paced world, we tend to treat everything like it’s simply the next thing we need do before we move on to something else. But Jesus said to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. These are not surface actions. These do not allow for shallow experiences. When it comes to matters of the heart, matters of the soul, matters of our relationships— When it comes to following Christ, we are not called to be surface people. We are called to go deeper.