Sometimes, we think some things are too trivial to take to God. Since it’s our problem, it’s ours to fix. But what if I told you that Jesus’s ultimate price is sufficient for even the triviality of our sins?
Have you ever thought about asking God to break the problem of addiction to your cell phone? Or is that something you have to fix on your own?
Let’s examine Gerald’s story.
Imagine being in your sixties and battling Gen Z’s ‘disease’: addiction to social media. Sixty-three-year-old Gerald complains to me that his social media addiction has gotten so bad that it’s harming his health. He doesn’t get enough rest at night and, as a result, is extremely tired when he goes to work each day. Additionally, Gerald confesses that every so often, the phone falls from his hand and hits him in the chest while he dozes off in the wee hours of the morning while watching TikTok.
To compound the issue, Gerald, a gate attendant at an apartment building, also spends most of his workday scrolling on a social media app, often feeling dizzy and experiencing sporadic headaches. Gerald has lost and continues to lose the battle against his TikTok addiction, and because of this, he jokingly blames me for putting the app on his phone.
Admittedly, there are moments when I feel bad about putting the app on his phone, but the truth is, long before he asked me to download several social media apps, I downloaded a Bible app and showed him how to use it in detail. I checked with him several times about reading or listening to the Bible, but he is uninterested.
So, no. Although I sometimes feel bad for Gerald, the hours he spends scrolling, especially on TikTok, are his choice; thus, the consequences are entirely on him.
Now, imagine Gerald, a mature man, losing control —particularly over TikTok. What should we expect from people in their 20s and even teenagers?
Whether you are 60 or 16, breaking the cycle of whatever steals your attention from what matters most in your life may require some intervention. Although there is room for improvement, I have reasonable control over my social media use.
When it gets a little out of control, I am okay with uninstalling the apps for a couple of weeks or a month to focus on my priorities.
Perhaps you have tried but cannot break your phone addiction. In this case, you may be no different than the man or woman who is addicted to drugs or porn.
Just like the person with an addiction needs intervention to break the cycle, so do you, and who better to intervene than the Divine Himself, Christ Jesus?
If this addiction is something you can fix, why has it taken you so long to do it? What about the methods you said you would use to separate your attention from social media? How is that working out for you?
Remember, God delights in fixing trivial matters.
Here is the piece of the puzzle we sometimes miss. No matter how minor the issue is, if it keeps us separated from God, it keeps us in sin; if it keeps us in sin, nothing about it is trivial. God specializes in fixing trivial matters that will keep us from living in heaven with Him.
Surrendering all to Jesus includes even your phone addiction.
Let us pray
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for letting me come to You with matters of varying degrees, including this one that some may consider trivial. I didn’t recognize that I could come before You and ask You to give me the power to break this phone addiction. Since I was the one choosing to spend more time on the phone than in Your Word, I thought it was up to me to fix it.
Lord, the truth is, I tried, but the more I try not to waste my life scrolling aimlessly, the more something pops up that takes my attention away from You and what’s essential in my life.
So, Lord, here I am; please remove the urge to spend excessive time on social media. I know that most of the content I am consuming is Satan’s strategy to keep me distracted, which will ultimately keep me in darkness.
I am reminded that nothing is worth losing my soul, so help me prioritize Your will for my life.
Finally, Lord, help me discern content that promotes the gospel and use my cell phone to spread it so that at least one person can escape the clutches of sin.
This will ultimately bring You glory. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen!
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