“GO, MOVE FASTER, ONTO THE NEXT THING,” the world shouts at us as we try to manage our lives.
We rush from task to task, barely pausing to reflect on what we’re even doing. And then, there’s social media. I don’t know about you, but the moment I log in, it’s like stepping into a time warp. Minutes turn to hours, and when I stop, I realize most of what I’ve consumed isn’t even worth my attention.
As a mom of three, I used to turn to social media to “chill.” But soon I noticed something unsettling—when my kids would try to talk to me while I was glued to my phone, I’d get irritated. It hit me hard: Was my phone more important than my children, my marriage, or even my relationship with God?
The answer was a resounding NO.
My work asked us to pray search our hearts and join in a 21-day fast. It could be a fast from whatever you wanted, from whatever you needed. I knew mine needed to be social media. I needed to completely disconnect in order to reconnect.
Before I began my fast, I scrolled upon this TikTok.
@ashlyymiller Let us be bold in our faith so that others may see Jesus in us, so that we can speak truth to them, and help guide them closer to Christ. You never know how God will use you in the pursuit of Him saving someones soul, make sure your heart is open and ready to be used by Him 🤍 #christianity #christianitytiktok #christian #christiantiktok #christians #christianlife #fyp #foryou #viral #godisgood #jesusisking👑 ♬ one more light – favsoundds
The phrase “The only thing we can bring to heaven is other people” really stuck with me. I even came across another version that said, “The only thing we might be able to take with us to heaven is our children.” That one completely stopped me in my tracks.
We are living in a world that is constantly pulling for our time and our attention. This world is loud and distracting and can lead you to lose focus of life’s purpose. We as Christians are meant for the community; we need other brothers and sisters walking alongside us.
Now there is a time and a place for everything, but I bet if you were to look at your life and evaluate what you spend your time on in it wouldn’t be things that are drawing you closer to your family, your friends, or our Savior. Yet there is this longing that we have to be on social media or just life in general- to be seen, and to be heard.
The need is never fully met though, we try to stay relevant and post the best pictures but it’s never enough. The world leaves us always wanting more, C.S. Lewis said it best when he said,
“If I find myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
We long for something to make us feel alive, but are we looking in the right places, Hebrews 4:12 says that
“For the word of the Lord is alive and powerful.”
We have the best book, the greatest love story known to man and it truly is life-giving! It can bring encouragement to a wife waiting to be a mother (1 Samuel 1:9-28), wisdom in the face of marital difficulties (Ephesians 5:21-33), and comfort when you are hurting (Isaiah 41:10). The Lord can do so much more than what this world can ever do!
Maybe social media isn’t your distraction—maybe it’s something else, like binging your favorite Netflix series or even letting negative thoughts take over your mind.
I encourage you to spend 2 minutes in silence, just two, and ask the Lord what in your life you need to remove to focus more on Him and on the gifts that He has given you in this world. In a world that is fighting for your time and your attention, what will you do today to focus on the Lord instead of this world?
Looking for Direction or Refocus? Check out This FREE Bible Study
- How to Focus in a Busy World - October 21, 2024