The truth is, our phones are very distracting devices. They give the illusion of neutrality; you can use them for good or for bad, and anywhere in between. So, how will you teach your daughter to interact with her technology?
Remember the record player of the past? It just did one thing.
Unfortunately, today, our devices don’t just do ONE thing. They do a lot of things. And they’re not really a tool. A tool is something that just sits there and waits for you until you want to use it—like a hammer, a bicycle, or a printer.
You’re not constantly walking around thinking about your hammer, your bicycle, or your printer.
Technology is called a tool, but it’s really a whole lot more. It calls to us. It beeps, it beckons, it buzzes, and guess what? That buzzing, beeping, nudging, prodding, typically isn’t pointing you to the Word of God.
There used to be that cartoony-type thing with the devil on one shoulder that’s like “eat the cake!” and the angel on the other that’s like “you promised you wouldn’t!”
But the way I see it, today with ourselves and our kids with technology it’s not just a devil and an angel, it’s a thousand devils. This shoulder is VERY heavy. So we’re trying to get up from under there.
Proverbs 21:5 says:
The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as surely as haste leads to poverty.
But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
Wouldn’t you agree that right now there is a lot of poverty of spirit?
We’ve talked a lot here at True Girl about the hockey stick growth of anxiety and depression. We have a poverty of spirit in our communities and our nation. And a lot of that, I believe, comes from the hastiness and how we interact with our technology. When you’re doing a search, you want the results FAST. Who was that actor in that movie? What time does that store open? How fast can I get that pair of shoes? We are hasty, we want things fast, we are impatient. And God doesn’t work this way. If you throw up a prayer, it’s not like He’s going to answer you in the next 2.5 milliseconds. There’s waiting involved!
Another thing our girls are struggling with is belonging.
We either struggle with thinking too highly of ourselves (wow, I’m great, I have so many followers!) or, we think too lowly of ourselves (wow, I posted a photo and NO ONE liked it. I’m worthless.)
In Romans 12:3-5 it says:
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
A lot of times our kids are getting their sense of belonging from their Instagram feed instead of asking questions like:
- What can I fulfill in the Body of Christ?
- What role can I have in the Body of Christ?
- How has God made me to fit into that body?
We as moms can look for ways to nurture our daughter.
- How is my daughter wired?
- How can you nurture her?
- Maybe your daughter is a leader. How can you help her get involved in leadership positions?
- Maybe your daughter is a giving person. How can you empower her to give?
Look for those gifts and teach our kids how to step into the Body of Christ. And for that reason, we shouldn’t think more highly or more lowly of ourselves than we ought to. This is the Truth that sets our girls free. When they see that they belong in God’s family, and they see their worth, then all of a sudden it doesn’t matter so much what social media says. All it is is algorithms and engineers and pixels; it’s not real.
Our children need to be in a place where they understand what IS real.
That hastiness leads to poverty of spirit, but their diligence leads to plenty. That their belonging comes from being in the Body of Christ. Girls are finding their worth in the wrong place, and we as moms can find our worth in the wrong place too. Let’s get back on track and point our girls (and ourselves!) to the Truth that sets us free.
Looking for more on this topic?
Join us on November 5th to learn how to win the screen time battle without losing your kids! This special workshop for parents features Dr. Gary Chapman (author of The Five Love Languages), Arlene Pellicane, and Bob and Dannah Gresh. We'll tackle topics like:
- Social media: Friend or foe?
- Phones: What age is best?
- Distance learning: How not to burn out
- Restarting your home: How to make tech changes that last?
- And more!
Register now for a donation of any amount!