This morning has been full. This morning… I have been out to attend an important meeting. This morning… I have ‘vacuumed’ the floor (at least my little robot friend did!). This morning… I have weeded the garden. This morning… I have washed the clothes. This morning… I have sent a prayer and a prophetic word to a social media friend. And then… I spent time with my family. Together we read an article together about the negative impact of social media on our youth... and we didn’t disagree…

BUT then… this afternoon I read a reply from my social media friend who prayed a prayer for me that truly hit the mark. A prayer that aligned with words that had already been spoken in my world this morning. A prayer that encourages and strengthens me in the Lord.

And now… I hold in my hand a card posted from across the world by another social media friend. A card that came with a gift that reminds me of a series of God encounters that have been significant moments of confirmation and encouragement over the last few years. Encounters so significant they have become the framework for a book that I have begun to write… a book I didn’t know I had inside of me.

So I ponder.

I think about the vacuuming and how anything left on my floor is sucked up right along with the dirt. Or worse still can become entangled in the brushes and impair or stop the cleaning.

I think about the weeding and how I accidentally pulled up parts of the plant with the weeds.

I think about the washing drying in the sun and how clean and crisp it will feel when I take it off the line. But I also think about how the washing would be faded and ruined if I left it out in the sun for days and months on end.

I think back to social media. The good. The bad. And the ugly.

The good.

• The good that social media brought into my life as I navigated a season that looked different from my normal. A season where social media helped me stay connected and helped combat what could have been a lonely time. In this season social media has brought deep connection with some amazing people around the world, some of whom I now consider my friends and who in turn call me friend!

• The good that social media has brought into my life as we have all navigated a worldwide pandemic and particularly as we journeyed through weeks and months of lockdown. I think of the friendships that have grown over this time and the prayers and prophetic words and dreams and encouragement that we have exchanged.

• The good that social media brings into my life as God challenges me to step out of my comfort zone. A place where God has called me to share my story of His goodness in my life and to remind us all that we each have a voice and a story that needs to be heard.

The bad. And the ugly.

• How social media is designed to be addictive. As addictive as drugs and gambling.

• How social media includes distressing and unsavoury content, sometimes shared with unsavoury motives. I think of the time I removed myself from social media for over a year because of illegal acts that posts were perpetuating against women. A post I reported and was told it was perfectly acceptable!

• How social media can perpetuate bullying, taking school yard taunts into the home and following you everywhere you go.

• How engaging in social media can lead to devastating consequences and destructive actions.

• How social media impacts our brains and physiology. Did you know research is showing that high levels of social media scrolling can lead to:

• hunger and an increase in appetite, potentially leading to weight gain?

• overspending and credit card debt?

• conformity and impaired decision making?

• comparison, coveting, jealousy and lowered self esteem?

• mental health issues, including loneliness and depression?

• expanding grey matter in the brain leading to reduced skill in interpersonal recognition and communication and sharing of emotions?

• disrupted sleep and insomnia?

• shortened attention spans, concentration and focus?

• a hyperactive nervous system and phantom vibration syndrome?

I think of the times I still remove myself… when posting and reading and viewing endless streams of data begins to feel overwhelming and more like I am heading into an introvert hangover. I think of my children and the very strict social media limits we have set for them.

Like the vacuuming, we need to assess and see what could become an entanglement.

Like the weeding, we need to be aware that removing the bad can also remove the good along with it.

Like the washing on the line, we need to remember too much of a good thing causes damage.

Like all things in our life we must be wise in how we approach social media. We must set age appropriate limits for those in our care. We must set boundaries around how we use it and how much and how long we use it. We must think about the content that we allow into our homes and into our lives. We must know our own values and we must embrace our own personal limits. We must be aware. We must be vigilant. We must be discerning.

I think of a Sunday School song from my childhood…

“Be careful little eyes what you see. Be careful little ears what you hear. Be careful little tongue what you say. Be careful little hands what you do. Be careful little feet where you go. Be careful little mind what you think. Be careful little heart who you trust. For the Father up above is looking down in love. So be careful…”

Let’s be careful.

Let’s be proactive.

Let’s be wise in the way we use social media.

Let’s think about what we say and what we share.

Let’s think about what we look at and what we think about.

Finally, brothers and sisters, fill your minds with  beauty and  truth. Meditate on whatever is honourable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is good, whatever is virtuous and praiseworthy.   Keep to the script: whatever you learned and received and heard and saw in me—do it—and the God of peace will walk with you. Philippians 4:8-9 The Voice