Christian Apps Bring Calm During Pandemic
Even though many of us find ourselves spending more time at home, these past few weeks have been anything but relaxing. In fact, we’re carrying a lot more stress than usual between new restrictions, different working arrangements or lost jobs, tight quarters shared with family or roommates, interrupted sleep schedules, and fears about the future.
Sometimes it seems like technology augments that stress. We stay up later and later to watch Netflix or scroll through our social media feeds. But that same technology can actually be utilized to reduce stress, and combat the negative effects of our current circumstances. Pandemic-induced anxiety? There’s an app for that.
Mindfulness apps have been around for a while, but more recently there’s been an uptick in Christian-specific apps. These apps, such as Hope, Soultime, and The Bible App – YouVersion combine mindfulness and God to help nourish the mind and soul simultaneously. Like it says on The Bible App’s website, “a daily rhythm of seeking God has the power to transform lives.”
One Minute Pause is an app created by author and therapist John Eldredge. According to Christianity Today, Eldredge was worried about rising anxiety and depression levels before the pandemic even began. He recognized the need for Christians, including himself, to be more deeply rooted in the Word of God.
“I got caught up in it,” he said. “Just the pace of life, the insanity of the hour, too much media, too much technology, too much plugged in—and I’d come home in the evenings and just find myself completely fried.”
To calm himself down, Eldredge began taking one minute to pause in his car after each workday, trying to center himself and communicate to God about how he was feeling. That’s when the idea of the app came. The secular apps that already existed just weren’t cutting it. He realized that people needed “a very simply grounding experience in Christ.”
Other Christian apps, like Abide, were created with similar goals in mind. Abide’s creator, Russ Jones, said that the app is “that place that people can go in the dark night of the soul at 2 o’clock in the morning when the pastor is not available in churches, open. We’re that place where people can go on the run in their busy lives and still be in Scripture.”
Another app called Pray is offering free meditation features and content for kids during the pandemic. Knowing that many kids and parents are stuck at home and that tensions are especially high, the app’s creator, Steve Gatena, said, “We believe everyone deserves access to programs that help reduce anxiety levels.”
Christ-centered mindfulness and meditation apps can help users calm down and process emotions during this difficult time. With numerous options for guided meditation, prayer, Bible study, and breathing exercises, there’s something for everyone. Even taking one minute to stop and reflect on Christ and His word can bring stability and peace to the otherwise frightening comotion of a global pandemic. These apps are just one way Christians are helping each other “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10).
