Constant Communication - Smartphones
"Mom, you're really annoying. I can't get you out of my head! And why do you sound like the Bible! UGH!" said one of my teenagers a couple of years ago.
Good. I'm glad that all the things I've taught you over your short life have stuck in your head even if you don't like them. And I make no apologies for explicitly being biblical.
Fast forward to today - this same teenager constantly has his ear stuck in his phone. Why? Music, music, and texts. I thought it was ridiculous until I got a smartphone too. The first week was a nightmare. Every 10 minutes I was getting some type of alert, usually a traffic alert. It was exceedingly annoying - especially since we live in a rural area and the biggest traffic issue we have involves a tractor. Once I learned how to kill all my alerts, I began to get notifications. About what you may ask? I have no idea. Updates maybe. So, I learned to kill all those. Once I shut down alerts and notifications, I began to get text messages and facebook messages multiple times a day always screaming for my attention. Ugh. Finally, I just put my phone up. Now I have no idea where my cell phone is unless I'm leaving the house. That thing wants my constant attention. It is not only annoying, but stressful.
My son is not nearly as bothered by his phone as I am, or so he thinks. However we noticed a real problem this past year when adults in my child's life began to bypass parents and text children directly up until 11pm at night. When I was teaching full time, the last thing I wanted was to come home and have an angry parent yell at me over the phone in the evening. I preferred to leave school at school and unwind at home. Now, our kids carry school, friends, sports with them every where they go. There is no break. Even if the phone is removed from them, the stressful messages are immediately available as soon as they get it back. And for most kids, it isn't just messages from adults that cause stress, but also their peers. This is huge cause for concern.
Teenagers are not the most discerning population in the world. What people say, or text, sits deeply with them. They internalize much of what they hear or read, and they often have a hard time deciding which information they should keep and which they should discard. The devil knows this and utilizes smartphones to get into our kids' heads. No longer does my son only hear my voice in his head, but the voices of many other people screaming at him. My son knows I love him. The instructions I give him are for his own benefit and purely out of love. The texts he receive are often not for his benefit and almost never out of love - especially group texts - don't even get me started!
You may think the Bible has nothing to say on the matter of smartphones, but it has an awful lot to say in terms of communication. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the NIRV reads, "Never stop praying." The Bible never teaches us to stay in constant communication with our spouse, kids, work, boss, teachers, coaches, or friends. But God specifically teaches us to always talk to Him. The ongoing dialog in my head is often with my Lord. He reminds me of His Word. I can talk to Him about my fears and my joys. He is a safe place for me to rest, and conversations with God leaving me feeling at peace not stressed. What's more? I don't use my phone to communicate with Him. In fact, using my phone distracts me from Him.
Our kids, and perhaps we, have learned to stay in constant communication with those around us. But by doing so, we lose that constant communication with God. Constantly communicating with the world is unhealthy, stressful, and in opposition to God's design. We were made to talk to God first and foremost and other people second. In fact, even if we lose our ability to talk, write, and interact with those around us, we still have a direct link to God that no one can take away. As Christians, the Holy Spirit that indwells us, assures that our connection to God is never broken.
Let's do our best to make constant communication with God a priority, and put constant communication with the world in its rightful place.
Good. I'm glad that all the things I've taught you over your short life have stuck in your head even if you don't like them. And I make no apologies for explicitly being biblical.
Fast forward to today - this same teenager constantly has his ear stuck in his phone. Why? Music, music, and texts. I thought it was ridiculous until I got a smartphone too. The first week was a nightmare. Every 10 minutes I was getting some type of alert, usually a traffic alert. It was exceedingly annoying - especially since we live in a rural area and the biggest traffic issue we have involves a tractor. Once I learned how to kill all my alerts, I began to get notifications. About what you may ask? I have no idea. Updates maybe. So, I learned to kill all those. Once I shut down alerts and notifications, I began to get text messages and facebook messages multiple times a day always screaming for my attention. Ugh. Finally, I just put my phone up. Now I have no idea where my cell phone is unless I'm leaving the house. That thing wants my constant attention. It is not only annoying, but stressful.
Teenagers are not the most discerning population in the world. What people say, or text, sits deeply with them. They internalize much of what they hear or read, and they often have a hard time deciding which information they should keep and which they should discard. The devil knows this and utilizes smartphones to get into our kids' heads. No longer does my son only hear my voice in his head, but the voices of many other people screaming at him. My son knows I love him. The instructions I give him are for his own benefit and purely out of love. The texts he receive are often not for his benefit and almost never out of love - especially group texts - don't even get me started!
You may think the Bible has nothing to say on the matter of smartphones, but it has an awful lot to say in terms of communication. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the NIRV reads, "Never stop praying." The Bible never teaches us to stay in constant communication with our spouse, kids, work, boss, teachers, coaches, or friends. But God specifically teaches us to always talk to Him. The ongoing dialog in my head is often with my Lord. He reminds me of His Word. I can talk to Him about my fears and my joys. He is a safe place for me to rest, and conversations with God leaving me feeling at peace not stressed. What's more? I don't use my phone to communicate with Him. In fact, using my phone distracts me from Him.
Our kids, and perhaps we, have learned to stay in constant communication with those around us. But by doing so, we lose that constant communication with God. Constantly communicating with the world is unhealthy, stressful, and in opposition to God's design. We were made to talk to God first and foremost and other people second. In fact, even if we lose our ability to talk, write, and interact with those around us, we still have a direct link to God that no one can take away. As Christians, the Holy Spirit that indwells us, assures that our connection to God is never broken.
Let's do our best to make constant communication with God a priority, and put constant communication with the world in its rightful place.
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