You shall bow down no more to the work of your hands. Micah 5:13 (ESV)
You see them everywhere—street corners, restaurants, even national parks. Folks with their heads tipped down at a characteristic angle, their gaze locked onto a screen. People are texting, posting social media updates, mapping routes, or engaging in any number of activities that can be done on the spot as long as they have a phone signal or Wi-Fi connection. They’re missing out on the beauty around them, their eyes on their smartphones with their heads bowed as if in worship. Many of us are addicted to the need to connect.
I know I check my phone more often than I should. Ironically, all this attention to the phone disconnects us from other people and real life. At its worst, it can lead to devastating, even fatal accidents. The overuse of technology has led to a new orthopedic disorder known as Text Neck. The weight of the tipped head strains the neck muscles, causes pain, and eventually can result in irreversible, degenerative changes to the spine. Our habits change us, for better or for worse. Unhealthy self-interest is destructive.
Pride is making self our god. Phones and technology are neither good nor bad in themselves, but used carelessly, they turn us inward, leaving us selfish and inconsiderate. Jesus didn’t do whatever He felt like but said, “I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 5:30, ESV). I don’t want to go my own way, but His. With His help, I’ll deny myself and follow Him.
Faith Step: Today disconnect your electronics. If overconnectedness isn’t your problem, pull away from something that is. Spend the time quietly, lovingly.
