I'm addicted to WHAT?

Luke 2:19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

To prove a point to myself that my phone is not a "idol or stonghold" of some kind to me,  I put it down.  For 2 days the only time I picked it up was if it was ringing or someone sent me a text. I did not randomly message people just to see what they were up to. I did not get on Facebook via my phone at all (If I got on Facebook it was on the computer, and that took time so it was not often). I did not get on any app via my phone to play with any pictures to edit them or post/ send them to anyone.

I'm embarrassed to say that I usually have to charge my phone by 6pm daily because its completely dead. I charged my phone one time in 2 days. I took it off the charger Saturday morning and by Saturday night at 9pm it still had 75% battery. People, that is CRAZY!!  I deleted the Facebook app on my phone so that I can't just "Facebook" when I'm bored. Here is a sum of what I missed during my 2 day experiment:  not one single thing. I read a book, I played "barn" and tractors with my kids. I went to a barrel race with my family and watched my daughter ride her pony. I cheered her on with not one interruption. I did not take one picture with my phone at the barrel race (I did use my real camera ;) ). I cannot tell you how much my life has been changed by one weekend of being intentionally available to my family after being prompted by the Lord to do so. While I may not be "addicted" to social media, those 2 days certainly proved to me that I am dependent on my phone and I definitely overuse it. 

I believe like many others that smart phones may be the downfall of the century. What do you do first thing in the morning? Do you get on your phone and check the weather, or get on Facebook and Twitter while you wait for the shower to warm up? Do you immediately start taking “sooo cute!” pics of your children and post them on instagram? How about this, stop it. Look at your beautiful kids and do as Mary did as all the people adored her perfect baby, our savior. She stored the memories away in her heart. Obviously there was no photo taking then, but she could have taken the time to write it all down in a journal. That’s not what scripture says she did. She treasured the tender moments and stored them all up in her heart. She was living it in real time, not getting glimpses through the lens of a cell phone or watching a little and then writing it down, she was watching and storing. I cannot express how this scripture slapped me in my face. I have been given more blessings than I can count and yet I let my addiction to my phone steal my ability to store the memories in my heart and not just my phone.  While there is nothing wrong with taking a gazillion photos of our children, there is something very wrong with posting them every 5 min on social media. I want to list a few downfalls that I have found to the addiction (YES it IS an addiction) to social media and smart phones in general:

1.) Taking 500 photos of any moment keeps us from actually living the moment.  We are ruining it by taking the photo, editing the photo, thinking of a caption, and finally posting it to Facebook (or instagram)

 2.) After posting the photo you are constantly looking to see who “liked” the photo or who commented on it. We are literally looking down at a device, be it a phone or an ipad more than we are looking up into the eyes of our family we so desperately want the world to see!

 3.) When I’m sitting on the couch looking at Facebook or seeing what my favorite celebrities are tweeting, I could be reading scripture or doing a bible study by one of my favorite Christian writers, Max Lucado ! Anything that hinders my spiritual growth is a major problem people, for me it’s my phone.

I know that Smartphone’s are amazing and have made some things wonderful, like having access to a camera 24/7, GPS, Texting, News on the go, etc. However, in my opinion, the same smart phones have made living and enjoying life take a backseat to posting life the way we want it to appear to the rest of the world. 

Here are my final thoughts, take the pictures, but post them later after you have actually appreciated and LIVED the moments.  Put the phone down for a while, if it rings then get up and go answer it! If nuclear war breaks out, I feel SURE someone will call us, no need to be “in the know” or connected to the internet 24 hours a day. You are the only one who has been given your life, live it to the fullest you never know when it your life may change drastically. I know I will begin again with a new vision given to me from my gracious Father in Heaven. I hope my thoughts on what God has shown me help you. Take a look around, I bet you see someone looking down, at a phone. Be intentional about putting the devices down and making conversation with a stranger!

Psalm 115:4-8 :Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.