Guest Post – Is Social Media Your Time Vampire?

Guest Post by Veronica Eernisse – She is returning for a 3rd time! And this time, she is shaking up our view on social media with some honest self-reflection and questions. How much time do you spend on social media? Do you dedicate the same amount of time to the bible or church? This post really made me think about my own use of social media. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective, Veronica.

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My pastor recently challenged us to think about what in our daily lives we put above God. What do we spend our time doing? Who do we spend our time with? What do we spend our money on? He asked us to think about whether our answers to these questions honored God.

I started to think about how much time I spend using social media. Whether it’s Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest, I feel like I am constantly “plugged in”. I was challenged to look at my social media usage in relation to scripture.

Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

I follow 180 people on Instagram, 116 people on Pinterest and I have 510 “friends” on Facebook. Sure a lot of my interest with fellow users is because they are my friends and I want to stay up-to-date with the happenings in their lives. However, as I am sure most are guilty of, a lot of my time is spent being envious of what others have.

Seeing friends on vacation makes me wonder why they are lucky enough to afford to travel. When I was job searching, seeing a friend land a dream job made me jealous that I had yet to find a career. My jealousy would soon turn to guilt rather than being happy for others.

It’s a vicious cycle that’s hard to break.

The world is constantly telling us we need more. If we had this or that we would be happy. As soon as we get what we think we need, it is on to something else.

Colossians 3:5, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”

The word that stood out to me most in that verse is “idolatry”. It is a word we hear often throughout the Bible and in church. In the past I read through it. I knew I did not idolize anyone or anything over God, but how true was that? I spent so much time thinking that I needed more to be happy. Social media only encourages this for me.

God should be enough for us. Everything from Him is a blessing.

The whole concept of Pinterest is to “pin” items you want, places you want to go, clothes you wish you had and beauty tips to make you more feel more beautiful. This is the opposite of God’s Word. He says we do not need any of it… all we need is Him.

Colossians 2:9-10, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form and you have been given fullness in Christ.”

How amazing is that? We are so undeserving, but he has given us everything we need. God always provides. Regardless of how many times we are unfaithful to Him, he forgives us. We live for a faithful God who loves us unconditionally.

Through my study of Colossians, I was amazed with how much the verses were relating to a relatively new concept: social media. This summer I plan on putting my phone down and enjoying life. That’s not to say I won’t be sharing occasional (or maybe too often) photos of my adorable dogs, but I hope to spend more time reading my Bible than reading my newsfeed. Will you join me?

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Veronica resides in Wisconsin with her husband Ryan and their dog-children, Shandy and Porter.  She enjoys taking Shandy to the dog park, going fishing and spending quality time with family.  She is blessed and can’t wait to see where God takes her and her family next. 

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