Scrolling... Endlessly
WRITER: Phil Bray; POSTED: December 19, 2024
SCROLLING … ENDLESSLY
How many hours do we spend scrolling, allowing our eyes to drift lazily across a sea of mindless drivel and triviality? We have become so accustomed to slipping our phone out of our pocket the moment we experience the least bit of unfocused concentration. At the first glimmer of boredom our phones slip into our hands without us even realizing we have pulled it out.
There are many arguments about the reasons for this, many arguments about the dangers of social media, news, online games, and endless streaming possibilities right at our fingertips. Boredom is a thing of the past. Silence, stillness, and undistracted thought is an antiquated form of suffering no longer experienced by modern humans. Is there a danger in this? Other than the very real dangers of distracted driving, neglected children, and frigid marriages due to an obsession with an online world of continual distraction is there danger lurking in this flickering screen of endless colors?
“Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” (Ps 119:37). Take a moment and just mull that verse over in your mind. The Psalmist is praying for God to turn his attention away from the continual distraction of worthless things. Turn my eyes, my focus, my concentration away from things that are inherently worthless. They are insubstantial, insignificant in the reality of life. He then prays for God to give him life, to manifest life, to begin life or enable him to experience life in God’s ways. The ways of God are the sphere of life, abundant and overflowing life.
The ways of God are summed up by love. Loving others by showing kindness, compassion, attention, and care is where we experience the abundant life of Christ. Loving others by forgiving, reconciling, serving, and listening to them is where we experience the abundant life of Christ. Do you see? Life is experienced and enjoyed in the ways of God. His ways are reflected clearly in His word. Yet, for many of us, we fail to experience the life and freedom of life in His ways because we are continually distracting ourselves, allowing our eyes to roll through a never ending stream of worthless triviality or worldly sin.
We think little of God because our mind is so fractured by the continual distraction of bits of news, comics, and videos of people doing stupid things. Our mind is continuously barraged by worthless things through the gate of our eyes. As a result we grow ever more distant from one another, angrier, and depressed. Oh, how desperately do we need to pray the prayer of the Psalmist! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things and give me life in your ways! Turn my eyes away from the social media, the news media, the entertainment media, and the useless media. Does it promote peace, joy, and gladness in God? Does what occupy your mind enable love to flow freely from your soul into the lives of those around you or does it isolate you from even those closest to you?
Life in the ways of God, abundant life overflowing with peace, joy, love, and gladness is ours in Christ! Oh, may we by God’s grace turn off our phones and turn our eyes away from worthless things so that we may gaze long and contentedly upon Him who is the the source of all beauty and glory. Then, we will begin to love and be loved. We will will experience life in His ways.
How many hours do we spend scrolling, allowing our eyes to drift lazily across a sea of mindless drivel and triviality? We have become so accustomed to slipping our phone out of our pocket the moment we experience the least bit of unfocused concentration. At the first glimmer of boredom our phones slip into our hands without us even realizing we have pulled it out.
There are many arguments about the reasons for this, many arguments about the dangers of social media, news, online games, and endless streaming possibilities right at our fingertips. Boredom is a thing of the past. Silence, stillness, and undistracted thought is an antiquated form of suffering no longer experienced by modern humans. Is there a danger in this? Other than the very real dangers of distracted driving, neglected children, and frigid marriages due to an obsession with an online world of continual distraction is there danger lurking in this flickering screen of endless colors?
“Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” (Ps 119:37). Take a moment and just mull that verse over in your mind. The Psalmist is praying for God to turn his attention away from the continual distraction of worthless things. Turn my eyes, my focus, my concentration away from things that are inherently worthless. They are insubstantial, insignificant in the reality of life. He then prays for God to give him life, to manifest life, to begin life or enable him to experience life in God’s ways. The ways of God are the sphere of life, abundant and overflowing life.
The ways of God are summed up by love. Loving others by showing kindness, compassion, attention, and care is where we experience the abundant life of Christ. Loving others by forgiving, reconciling, serving, and listening to them is where we experience the abundant life of Christ. Do you see? Life is experienced and enjoyed in the ways of God. His ways are reflected clearly in His word. Yet, for many of us, we fail to experience the life and freedom of life in His ways because we are continually distracting ourselves, allowing our eyes to roll through a never ending stream of worthless triviality or worldly sin.
We think little of God because our mind is so fractured by the continual distraction of bits of news, comics, and videos of people doing stupid things. Our mind is continuously barraged by worthless things through the gate of our eyes. As a result we grow ever more distant from one another, angrier, and depressed. Oh, how desperately do we need to pray the prayer of the Psalmist! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things and give me life in your ways! Turn my eyes away from the social media, the news media, the entertainment media, and the useless media. Does it promote peace, joy, and gladness in God? Does what occupy your mind enable love to flow freely from your soul into the lives of those around you or does it isolate you from even those closest to you?
Life in the ways of God, abundant life overflowing with peace, joy, love, and gladness is ours in Christ! Oh, may we by God’s grace turn off our phones and turn our eyes away from worthless things so that we may gaze long and contentedly upon Him who is the the source of all beauty and glory. Then, we will begin to love and be loved. We will will experience life in His ways.