Is it possible to be unaffected by so much screen time? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say "no". I'm speaking only from personal experience, of course, but in my life I must admit that I am prone to allowing things like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to rob me of peace, contentment, joy, and effectiveness in my home. They all have the potential to bring me down. I have the best of intentions, really, I do. But, somehow they can still get to me if I let them. You know, to that deep down part of me that questions if I really am beautiful enough, good enough, organized enough, cute enough, hip enough...and on and on my heart spins. Completely out of control and away from the Lord. My house isn't cute enough. I'm not Mom enough. Not creative enough, fun enough. I don't have enough friends. I don't have the right friends. She got 95 likes, I only got eight. Not even enough to switch from listing the names to just reporting the number. It's official. I am a loser.
So, Lord, what is at the root of my problem? Sin. Ok, right. Big surprise, Melissa. Just like a sheep, my heart wanders again. "Thou shall not covet," the Lord says. There I go again. "Thou shall have no gods before me," the Lord says. There I go again. Vanity, vanity, vanity. A chasing after the wind. "The fear of man will prove to be a snare." Yep. Got caught again. Fearing what man thinks of me. Wondering, will I get the approval I am seeking? Will someone comment? Tell me! Tell me, please! Tell me that I'm beautiful. Tell me that I'm enough. Tell me I'm a good wife, a good mom, a good homemaker. Tell me! Tell me! Because your opinion matters to me. Yes it does. Too much. "Let another man praise you and not your own lips." What is Facebook and Instagram? A socially acceptable way for my heart to fish for compliments anytime, anywhere. I don't even have to look anyone in the eye. No exposure of my heart, thank you. Risk-free "relationships"...or are they?
And I haven't even mentioned the addiction factor. If I were scientific I would do a study. I'm sure the results would be staggering. Wake up. Check my phone. Get dressed. Check my phone. Brew coffee. Check my phone. Begin to pray. Check my phone. Continue to pray. Check my phone. Read my bible. Check my phone. Pour coffee. Check my phone. Get the kids. Check my phone. Make breakfast...you got it, check my phone. This is insanity, people. At least for me. Obviously this doesn't mean that I don't use social media forums because I do. It means that I want the Lord to be Lord of my time using social media (and blogging for that matter.) I am challenged to make sure that the nourishment that I feed my soul on a daily basis is eternal, everlasting, and true. I want--I need--to drink from the fount of Living Water. Thanks for letting me vent. :)
To read more about this topic check out Todd Wilson, The Family Man's blog here.
