Dear Mom,
I have a confession and it's not pretty. I was consumed with social media and placed it above God. The list could go on and on, but below are just a few evidences of how I came to realize this (you can take part in this heart check also):
I would wake up in the morning and the first thing I did would be to check my social media accounts.
I would ask my husband frequently if he thought someone was mad at me because they didn't like or interact with a post of mine.
I was getting frustrated when my kids would interupt me when I was trying to unwind using my phone and social media.
I worried why people didn't like my posts and thought it reflected on the type of Christian I was.
I worried that people thought I wasn't doing all I could in order to support my son with special needs.
I used social media to go to bed as a way to turn off my mind at the end of the day.
Where is the Lord in all of this? Eventually, after the 938495 time of worrying about social media problems, I realized I wasn't looking to Him for answers. I realized I was more worried about myself than those around me. Are there practical truths that we can glean from articles concerning matters in life that are helpful? Absolutely. However, I was so focused on the world's wisdom that I was not following His wisdom through the all-sufficient Word of God. Romans 12:1-2 states, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
I was so consumed with social media, opinions, likes, and comments that I couldn't tell what was helpful and true. It began to get harder and harder to distinguish truth from reality. It became more and more difficult to tell the difference between what I have to follow, what I can follow but don't have to, and what I should not follow. It was at this point that I made a choice to sign-out for a planned amount of time. It was during this time of logging out that I began to immerse myself in Scripture. James 5 reminded me God gives wisdom and He will not criticize while I grow in knowledge of Him. Proverbs reminded me that as long as I filter my decisions through His wisdom, my soul can rest secure.
Sister, this is embarrassing to me. I have to remind myself though, that I am no longer condemned. Through Christ, I am set free. I hope that if you also have a social media problem, you will find a sister in Christ to pray for you, help you keep fighting, and a loyal accountability partner. He will remain faithful even when we are faithless because He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13).
Needing Jesus always,
Fellow Christian and Mom