REASONS TO REST FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
I love social media! I love it for all the same reasons it has become a worldwide phenomenon. I love that I can keep in touch with friends near and far, follow my favorite team’s pages, have up to the minute news at my fingertips, follow my favorite preachers and leaders, be in groups of common bonds and interest, and everything that comes with social media. But I also know my own heart. And that sometimes I must rest from it.
I use the word rest because although social media is meant to be a form of both entertainment, information, and interaction – it can be burdensome. Many of us know the tendencies we have to spend too much time on social media and the results that often follow. As beneficial and user-friendly as social media can be, we know all too well how it can be a time-suck and take away from things that are honestly just more important.
A HEART ISSUE
Recently I’ve sensed a real need to take an extended break from social media. It’s something I’ve done before but never longer than a week or two. Jesus’ words in His teachings about the necessity of fasting for spiritual reasons weighs heavily on my mind. Jesus didn’t say “if” you fast, but “when” you fast. (Matt.6:16) Fasting doesn’t merely involve abstaining from food; it may mean keeping away from anything that may hinder our spiritual life and walk with God.
I knew that the Spirit was setting me up to practice this and came across Tony Reinke’s book 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You. That whole thing about not being able to judge a book by its cover is only partly true. I knew it was a necessary read for my soul. (DISCLAIMER: Reinke gives a very balanced and thoroughly investigated perspective on the issue without making technology something that is inherently evil). This book, like anything good for the soul, would prove to be a painful but necessary heart challenge.
What has become an overwhelming reality to me is the need to find rest and solace for my heart. Reinke writes, “The heart works best when it is not dominated by cares and demands.” Like all of life, things go in and come out of our heart. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” (NASB) So before I log off for some time, I wanted to write out some reasons why that would remind me and hopefully be an encouragement for others to join me in this or at least give the idea a fair hearing:
“Because technology is devoted primarily to making our lives easier, it discourages us from disciplines, especially ones that involve disentangling ourselves from technology itself.” – Andy Crouch
THE BENEFITS
Focused time in prayer: There’s been no shortage of articles written on the way that our smartphones can hinder the Christian’s prayer life. Focused prayer while having our phones by our nightstands as the last thing we look at before sleeping and the first thing we do in the morning is an extremely daunting discipline for any Christian to overcome. Those little prayers that the Christian may utter throughout the day can so easily be traded for a quick swipe of the fingers to “see what’s going on.” Jesus was quick to realize His need to get away from the masses and be alone with His Father. (Luke 5:16) If the Son of God Himself practiced this discipline it’s wise for believers to realize our own need to shut down, log off, and hear from God – rather than the world.
“…no app can breathe life into my communion with God.” – Reinke
2. Focused attention to God’s word: Perhaps I should clarify by saying that it’s not necessarily the discipline of opening the Bible that our phones can distract us from, but the deep thinking and trained mind that gives us a reason to. If our minds are addicted to 140 characters, quickly skimming news headlines, and quick burst of emotion to the latest thing online - one must wonder what is happening to our mind that operates best when it slowly intakes information and evaluates it with clarity and precision. Jesus didn’t say, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from Facebook;” rather, “by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matt.4:4)." The word of God is spiritual nourishment. It is living and active (Heb.4:12). Like bread, it works best when digested slowly and lived out as we think on it during everyday life. If you want to truly understand anything, you must marinate (aka meditate) on it. We have been trained to not marinate on digital text. Therefore, we are training ourselves to not marinate on spiritual text.
“Our spiritual condition today is one of spiritual ADD” – Hindmarsh
3. Better time with loved ones: Let’s be honest, all of us are prone to have our phone at the dinner table or out during life’s seemingly insignificant moments. But let me remind you, and more-so myself, that those small insignificant moments make up the large picture of life. Research is already beginning to show the effects that phones are having on children who grow up with their parents gazed fixed on a screen rather than them. (http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/04/21/304196338/for-the-childrens-sake-put-down-that-smartphone) I for one do not want life to slip by and miss moments with my children because so-and-so posted a funny meme or to trace a conversation between dueling internet trolls for shock value. My wife and kids need all of me, not a part of me.
“We most often give our children screens not to make their lives easier but to make our lives easier.” – Andy Crouch
4. To avoid temptation: Again, all things in life come from and go into the heart. (Matt.15:19) Perhaps this is none more true than with social media. Social media simply draws out what is already in our hearts in ways unlike we’ve ever known:
Envy: Since social media serves in many ways to create the world’s perception of you (photo filters, subjectivity, etc.), it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that everyone around you is living better than you. Though these things are more socially prevalent than ever, I rarely find post of people confessing depression, insecurities, broken relationships, and the other messy things in life we all deal with. Because the social media world is so "perfect" and we live in the reality of our own lives, this can easily lead us to thinking we need a better house, a better car, improved looks, a more promising career, a better spouse, and essentially just something we do not have. Rather than being grateful to God for what He’s given, we turn from thanksgiving to envy. If we’re not careful, we can begin to see the world around us as perfect and see ourselves as inadequate, unimportant, and unworthy.
Pride: On the flip side, the things in our life that we do value and are, at least somewhat content with, can become reasons for pride. John Piper once wrote, “to love is to stop comparing.” And that isn’t just for comparing ourselves to things others have that we want but comparing our lives to others in pursuit of self-realization and vain-glory. Pride is perhaps the most dangerous of sins because it promotes self, not God. Social media can easily become a conduit for the pride of life. A word of caution: Christian are not immune from spiritual pride that can take place on Facebook. Jesus said, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 6:1 ESV
Lust: One of the many spiritual dangers of the internet is the access to pornography. While most know of the hazards and harmful effects of it, we often think that social media is secure because most the apps do not function for those purposes. But let me remind you that sexual sin and lust isn’t always as extreme as what our society considers to be pornographic. Jesus said, “…Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery… (Matt.5:28)." The second glances and lustful stares in the workplace, neighborhood, and community have now been replaced with the freedom to look as long, and often, as you please without anyone knowing. Beware.
Anger: This may be one of the most prominent of temptations for the social media dweller. Because we can communicate with people around the world who we will never meet, people will say just about anything. This isn’t so in real life. There is no filter. And woe to the internet troll who literally will argue with a wall (a Facebook one). Additionally, when people discuss important things online, even with good and honorable reason, it’s impossible to rightly understand them because we’re reading words. Body language, eye contact, tone, and pace of voice are lost. I admit my own annoyance to see people just blurt out and argue about anything. If I had to guess, about 90% of posts about important issues that lead to debate and disagreement prove unfruitful. It's far too easy to fire off a comment with little thought of its repercussions or how it may be viewed. While one of the advantages of social media is to give a voice to all – that doesn’t mean their voice is worthy of hearing. In a day of 24/7 news coverage and increased social tensions, avoid unnecessary anger. "Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak (post), and slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God."(James 1:19-20)
5. To make the best use of time: Time is a precious gift. It isn’t something we can earn or get back once it passes. James tells us that our life is like a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14). Paul reminds the early Christians to “look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). The King James Version translates that with the command to “redeem the time.” Because time is precious, it should not be wasted away by meaningless swiping and browsing. Rather, we should make the most of it. Among the things we will give an account for is the use of our time. I must ask myself the honest question, “Does social media increase or decrease my productivity? Am I free to spend hour after hour every month of my life skimming over odd curiosities out of my own boredom?” How many great books could we read, conversations could we have, chores could we get done, hobbies could we enjoy, if we simply logged off?
“Life online is a whiplash between deep sorrow, unexpected joy, cheap laughs, profound thoughts, and dumb memes. We use our phones to multitask our emotions.” – Reinke
6. To avoid idolatry: Again, I love social media and technology. But I must be mindful of how easily my heart can be gripped by the world’s goodies. The conspiracy theorist in me really wants to speculate on Adam & Eve’s fruitful temptation of knowledge and independence and Apple’s icon, but I digress. If we’re to love God with all of our heart mind and soul and please Him in all that we do, we must be honest about the list we’ve looked at and wonder if our phones have become too much a part of us. I’m the first to admit that I have trouble functioning without it. The music, maps, google, banking, YouTube, sports, calendar, phone (oh yeah!), text messaging, and shopping - just to name a few - show that our lives are found in our phones. They are a precious gift to be used, but used with discipline and right perspective. We must not allow anything other than God to reign on the throne of our hearts.
“When the means become our aimless habits, this is techno-idolatry.” - Reinke
Adam Denny
Pastor, North Run Baptist Church
Sources and book recommendations:
12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You, Tony Reinke (Crossway - 2017, Wheaton, IL)
The Tech Wise Family, Andy Crouch (Baker Books – 2017, Grand Rapids, MI)