Notes from the desert fathers (and why they matter now)

The desert fathers didn't have phones. They didn't have email. They didn't have to fight the temptation to refresh a feed every four minutes. And yet — somehow — they wrote some of the most piercing observations about distraction, anger, and the deceit of our own hearts that I've ever read. Three things I keep coming back to: 1. Stay in your cell. (Don't run from the work God has put in front of you.) 2. Hold your tongue. (Most of what we say doesn't need to be said.) 3. Watch your thoughts. (The fight is upstream of the action.)