Technology: We have a choice

I’m addicted.

Not to the normal vices that one might think. No, I am addicted to my phone.

Many times I have tried to break the habit of picking up and checking my phone throughout the day and night, but many times I have failed.

I used to think that I did not have a problem, but as I thought about it, I remembered that denial is one of the stages of addiction.

I bet that I am not alone.

One study I read said that the average American, 25 and older, checks their phone 96 times a day.  Americans 24 and younger average 200 times a day. 

That same research said 78% percent of Americans live within reach of their phone while they sleep.

So let me ask you, when that little device pings or vibrates to alert you to an incoming text, do you ignore it? Are you able to carry on with the conversation you are in without another thought?

Can you turn it off at night and not turn it back on until you have woken up, spent time with God, spent time with your family, and had some coffee?

What does it say about us that we can’t go a few hours without our phones or email? 

I’m not that old, but I remember a time when I was truly unavailable. You could not ask me something until you saw me the next day.

The brother of Jesus, James, has something to say to us… not about phones and technology, but about the effects of the outside getting in.

James 1:27 (NLT)

27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

It’s that last part that gets to me… “refusing to let the world corrupt you.”

Lord, is my addiction to technology corrupting me?

Listen, technology is not a bad thing, but our over-reliance on it might be.

Think about it, when we are afraid and nervous, where do we turn first? Is it to God? Maybe. More than likely it is to Google or Instagram.

But if I am ever going to live out the rich and satisfying life that Jesus promised us in John 10:10, I am going to have to re-think (or repent) my reliance on technology over my reliance on Jesus.

Lord, help me to live my joys and excitements with you first. Jesus, help me to bring my fears, hurts, and anxieties to you before I search for relief in the digital space.

God, help me with my addiction.