Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 5: 16-17 (English Standard Version)
Time is a precious gift. We only have so many days on this earth to do what God placed us here to do. Tragically, time is often spent pursuing worldly things that have no eternal significance.
One of those things is social media. I’m aware of the fact that social media can be used to share the gospel, pass along prayer requests, and keep in touch with friends and family. However, we often spend way too much time swiping and scrolling our life away on social media and getting tangled up in useless drama.
I’m pretty sure God did not put us on this earth to spend hours every day liking every picture posted or commenting on every post on social media. God does not care if we see what everyone is posting or what they are doing every minute of the day. God does care about how we spend our time. God has given us unique gifts and talents to use for his glory.
The scripture verse above tells us to walk wisely, not as fools. We are to make the best use of our time. If you took an honest look at how you use your time, what would you find? I would find I need to do better, much better, in how I use my time.
It is so easy to get caught up in social media or looking at stuff online and literally spend hours of our day swiping and scrolling ourselves into a state of oblivion. Before we know it, hours have passed and the day is over. Things we meant to get done remain undone. We vow to do those things tomorrow but often wake up to start the same mindless swiping and scrolling all over again.
Social media addiction is a real issue, and we are often unaware of how much control social medial has over people’s lives and our own lives. We do not have to look far to see this in action. The scrolling and swiping is occurring everywhere from the grocery store to the church. Many people cannot even carry on a phone conversation without scrolling through social media while they talk. I find myself doing this at times and feel convicted. It’s rude and I miss what the person on the phone is saying.
As Christians, we must evaluate how we use our time. How tragic it would be to come to the end of our life and realize we wasted our time caught up in the worldly drama that exists on many social media platforms. The gifts God gave us unused, and our precious time wasted on foolish worldly pursuits.
We do not know how much time we have left to fulfill our Godly calling. We cannot change how much time we wasted in the past, but we can change how we use the time we have today. I have cut back on my online time and social media use, and it has been freeing. I am getting more writing done, more books read, and I am spending more time writing letters and sending cards to those who need encouraged. I no longer keep my cell phone or tablet in my home office when I’m working or having my daily time with God.
When we were kids, my mom used to have a saying if she felt we were spending too much time watching TV. She would say, “Life should be lived, not watched.” In a time where TV was not broadcast 24 hours a day, our TV viewing was very limited compared to today’s technology use. However, her old slogan still stands true.
Start living your life and stop watching everyone else’s life. Put your devices aside and limit your time on social media. Stop swiping your life away. Use the precious gift of time God gave you wisely, because one day time will run out and it will be too late. We will have to give an account to God for our stewardship of the time and gifts he entrusted to our care. I pray we will all hear him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. ”
