Turn It Off! Keep the Internet in Perspective

Dallas shootings, racial intolerance, violence, ISIS, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, human trafficking....hopelessness.

If you listen to the internet, it would seem that our world is collapsing around us.  But is it really?

I believe it just feels that way. Our world is fallen...and it's been that way since Adam and Eve.  Wars have been fought. Battles have been won and lost.  People have died.  Babies have been born. We've had good presidents and bad ones. There have been stock market crashes, recessions and recoveries.

So why does it seem so bad now?

We are more aware than in any time in history because we have access to information twenty four hours a day, from a variety of sources - both credible and not so much. Now, think about the motivation of many internet sites. Is information shared as a public service or is it a commodity of some kind?

Did you know that news sites and social media organizations make money with every click?  They are not out there to help us. Money is the driving force behind these sites. Think about it.  Not all stories must be told at a global level, yet this is what we see everyday.  Nor do we need to hear so much opinion and commentary, yet this is the bulk of what is provided online.  Why?  Because opinion breeds controversy and controversy makes money.

For our emotional health, the mom in me knows what I would say to my children:

The internet seems to be a chaotic six lane highway, and I can't help but wonder if setting boundaries with internet and social media is part of the narrow road that Jesus talks about in Matthew 7.

 "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it."                                                                             ~Matthew 7:13-14

I have set limits on social media, but has it been enough?  I think that it's about more than following a rule or limiting my social media time to one hour a day.  It is about purposefully investing my time in loving and serving the people that are in my physical life. This is how I love and worship God, which in turn builds my trust and deepens my relationship with Him. When I follow Him with all my heart, mind, and soul, I don't seem to get so excited about all the chaos and angst on Facebook and other online media.

The internet is not bad.  On the contrary, it is a blessing.  I have learned to crochet, repair a dryer, learn algebra, fix my sink, and so much more.  I have been blessed with friendships that would not have been possible otherwise.  The internet and social media are excellent tools, but like any good thing, they must be surrendered to God's authority and filtered through His wise perspective.

I've decided to listen to my inner mom. (Or maybe it's the Holy Spirit?)  I choose to invest in the people I can see and touch first - and with all my heart. Following Jesus is much more important than clicking the follow button.  I will enjoy the internet and social media as a supplemental blessing, rather than as a staple necessity.  I refuse to be manipulated by unhealthy rhetoric.

I believe that shifting my perspective will help me feel much less anxious and will give me much more opportunity to love others.
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Grateful for grace,