Distraction: Social Media & Technology

Making the best use of time, because the days are evil. 

Ephesians 5:16

I find Instagram and Facebook to be a fun place to get distracted. I love reading inspirational stories, seeing scripture put into beautiful pictures and keeping up with the lives of people from my past, present and meeting new ones for the future. Even with all these good things, I think I need a break. I’ve started to pick up my phone to check social media in the most random times. 

Just the other day I was in the middle of writing an email and suddenly, I was on my phone scrolling through Facebook without even finishing the email. How can my brain be focused on writing an email, yet I end up on social? They didn’t even connect to one another and that’s when I became aware of the trap that even the ‘good’ parts of a distractions can be. 

Simon Sinek has a wonderful TED talk on how cell phone impact our relationships and how they have the same dopamine effects that cause additions. Not only that, but he goes into detail about the subconscious message we give to people by simply having our phones out. We don’t even have to be looking at them, just having them out makes the person you’re with feel less important that whatever is on our phone.

Life is beautiful not because of the things we see or do. Life is beautiful because of the people we meet.

Simon Sinek

I think of all the times I’ve had m phone out as my daughter is talking with me, how often I sit down to coffee with someone and put my phone right out in front of us almost saying I need this here in case something more important than you comes up.

 We’ve been created for community and that is often how we end up in the trap of social media and carrying around our phones, but by doing so we are causing the opposite effect. Instead of being in community with people to build them up, we are raising doubts and insecurities within them. 

We end up convinced that our phones, social media, tv are good and that we’re creating community and being in relationships with others, (Of course, this can be true at times) but, consider your usage, could our technology usage also just be an excuse to have a few moments of mindlessness? 

Technology is killing our relationships because we tend to give our phone more attention than we do our friends, kids, partner…

Now, with the goal to have community and know that you’re important, I have to ask how fruitful are these digital relationships, or the times spent with people when cell phones, TVs and other devices are drawing our attention more than we re drawn b the heart and attention of the ones were with? 

Mindless, is never a characteristic I want to define me, but I can spend a lot of time in that state. When I’m tired or have had a long day I usually end up convinced that I deserve to watch a Hallmark movie (or two…), or that I deserve to veg. out on social media to relax. How many of you truly feel relaxed after being on social media or after watching TV? 

I typically feel worse after screen time. I feel more stressed, lazier, more agitated and more unhappy with my circumstances. In the thought and hope of “I’m going to relax” I end up in a trap of being pulled in by more technology. It s so much easier to hit play on the next show, especially when we don’t even have to push play anymore, the next episode starts automatically! 

Social Media is training us to compare our lives instead of appreciating everything we are. No wonder why everyone is so depressed

Bill Murray

I can’t help but think of the movie Wall-E, by Pixar. If you haven’t seen it, do! People ride around on chairs everywhere they go with a TV in front of them, food delivered to them and they never have to move. They are mindless and dead and without relationship. It’s scary to think that it just might be the future we’re heading for and I do not want any part of it! 

Satan knows our minds and the power we have when we co-operate with God, so he does everything in his power to keep us distracted and mindless. This makes me so angry; I can’t believe how often I spend in his ‘kingdom’ vs how much time I spend in God’s! In the exercise we did before we started this section, I asked that you each think about your perfect day, well, my perfect day is one spent right here with you, talking with friends, watching my daughter play sports or having deep conversations with her about life and friends or just laughing about silly things. 

When I look at my distractions of TV watching, and social media scrolling, I see how that drains my energy and sucks out my joy – I look at my perfect day and realize I’m not even close. I look at my perfect days and think it s so simple, doesn’t cost anything and yet I’m not walking it out. I could live my perfect day every minute of every day and yet I am distracted and missing out. What did you recognize? 

Next Blog we’ll look at the excuse and separation tactics that keep us in fear and distracted (kind of like what is going on in today’s world)

Take time today to reflect on how much more you show your phone, TV and social media friends that you ‘love’ them than the people we see face to face every day.

Some Simple Changes to make Now

• Know why you’re turning to technology
• Set limitations to screen time
• Plan no-screen activities
• Turn off notifications

Scripture

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Psalm 30:9: What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?

1 John 5:4 – For everyone who has been boren of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the World – our faith

Romans 8:35; 38-39 – Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger or sword? For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creates will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our LORD

Corinthians 10:5: We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. 

Romans 10:17: So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ 

Ephesians 6:12: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 

Ephesians 5:16: Making the best use of time, because the days are evil. 

1 Corinthians 10:23: All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.