Beware: Technology Addiction is Real

Our society has made technology into a god. If you don’t believe you are susceptible to this violation of the First Commandments, consider these questions:
• Do you carry your cellphone with you wherever you go, even when it is not needed? Do you keep it close by at night?
• Do you send text messages even when you should be doing something else? Do you sneak around to send messages?
• Do you stay up late, answering email, texting, etc.?
• Do you think about texting or social networking or your apps, throughout the day?
• Do you check Facebook, Twitter, etc. during meetings, at school, while cooking, etc.?
• Do you spend significant amounts of money on technology even though it is not necessary for your work?
• Do you have a sense that you couldn’t live without technology?

Consider these same questions for your children. Are your children, even as young as 8, spending significant hours absorbed with cellphones, visiting social network sites or playing elaborate virtual reality games?

The word “addiction” comes from Latin and means “surrendering to something that becomes habit-forming and creates a sense of withdrawal when it is denied.” It is a process of becoming enslaved to a substance of thing. Do you want to be controlled by your cellphone?

Recently, I heard a youth leader telling a group of kids they would have to leave their cellphones at home during a weekend retreat. More than a few of the teens whispering, “There is no way that’s happening.” But they weren’t worried. They have learned how to be sneaky (and that is sure sign of addiction.)

An addiction that leads to sneaky behavior is dishonest. It is a sin. And lying is the doorway to other forms of serious sin.

What if we surrendered to God instead of surrendering to technology? The answers to the questions above would be very different.

• I am aware that Jesus is present, walking close to me throughout my day, so I talk to Him. He knows me. He is with me. He is trustworthy.
• I say prayers when I begin every activity. I want to do His will, not my will.
• I offer myself to God and ask Him to use me for His purpose. I surrender to Him.
• I am detached from the things of this world. How unimportant and insignificant technology is! The blinders are off now. I see that phones, cameras and computers are merely tools. I will not let these things enslave me. Instead, I stand before the Almighty One, the Holy One, the Merciful One and ask for help!
• All life comes from Him. My “thank you” for this gift is to offer my life to Him. As Jesus said, “Let it be done onto me, according to thy will.”

Consider--do you have an addiction? Are you ready to change? The time is now.

Glad Tidings of Comfort and More...

This holy season always seems to have two sides…the joyful celebration of our Savior’s Incarnation…and the darkness of the season. There are tragedies and hardships all around us…death, grief and sickness. We struggle to see the Light at times.

I thought about this when we lost beloved pets during Advent. And then the kids got sick just before Christmas. It has been something like this…

One child begs for another popsicle to ease her burning throat. She let the last one melt into a puddle. Meanwhile, the other child sits at the counter, coughing. He is staring at the stack of books he is supposed to be reading during this break from school. But he can't seem to turn the page. His eyes are glazed over. We call this Day Five of the Sickness.

My writing projects are on hold. Today I am not a Working Writer. I am Nurse, Nag and Comforter. "Please drink your water. You'll feel better tomorrow. Time to take your medicine. Go to bed now." The phrases are repeated over and over. I feel my mind turning into Sickness Soup--no longer creative or focused. I am not aware of anything but the demands of the moment.

These kind of days remind me that I (that's the Big I of ego) am not in charge. God is in charge of this world and my life. He holds the bigger vision. He knows what can be learned from these days set apart from the usual routine. He can truly heal all of us.

The roles of Nurse, Nag and Comforter are perfected in the example of the Holy Family, who set the model for our parenting roles.
• Nurse--God promised to heal the nation of Israel--"I will restore you to health and heal your wounds." (Jer. 30:17) And then He sent a Savior and Redeemer for the entire world.
• Nag—The angel came to Joseph again. Now he had a brand new family and he was hoping to return to their home and his regular work. But instead he was told to flee into a foreign land. He did as he was instructed. And Mary did not argue. She did as she was instructed. When Jesus grew into boyhood and was missing, His parents scolded Him and Jesus promised obedience.
• Comforter--The Psalms are filled with references to the Comfort we will find in God's arms. And our Christmas carols announce Glad Tidings of Comfort and Joy. In spite of hardships, the image we have of the Holy Family is one of peace. They gave each other support.

I am glad to have the opportunity to experience these roles of Nurse, Nag and Comforter. We are perfected during times of stress.

Dear Lord, please be with me as I go about the roles you have ordained for me today. Help me to learn the lessons of the Days of Sickness.