Do you have a love-hate relationship with your phone?
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Cell phones… we all have them, and they can be used for good or for bad.
They can help us read Scripture, encourage a friend, pray with someone, or stay connected with the people we love. They can even be powerful tools for sharing the Gospel.
But they can also become time stealers, pulling us away from the people who need us most—and even from God.
How many moments have we missed because we were looking down instead of looking up?
Do You Have a Love-Hate Relationship with Your Phone?
Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with mine.
I love that my family has a group chat and that we talk every single day. Sometimes we chat so much that when we finally call each other, we don't have anything new to say! I wouldn't trade that for anything.
But then there are those days when I open Facebook or Instagram "just for a minute," and before I know it, an hour has disappeared.
And don't even get me started on Pinterest! Somehow I can spend half a day there and go from loving my home to convincing myself I need to remodel every room. Isn't it amazing how quickly our phones can leave us feeling dissatisfied with things we never questioned before?
Praise Jesus that we serve a God who is never distracted.
He sees us. He knows us. He is always present. He never misses a moment of our lives, and He is constantly cheering us on. No one wants more for us than our Heavenly Father.
Choosing to Be More Intentional
Over the past few weeks, I've been much more intentional with my phone.
When my work is finished, I silence it.
I've picked up an actual book more times than I have in years. I've been writing more, spending more quiet time with the Lord, and honestly, I feel more refreshed than I have in a long time.
I've also been limiting social media and asking God to show me when it's time to put my phone away.
One thing I've learned is that constant scrolling often leads to constant comparison.
We compare our homes.
We compare our bodies.
We compare our families.
We compare our lives.
Comparison quietly steals our contentment.
(And yes... it almost convinced me that my perfectly fine house needed a complete remodel!)
Try This Challenge
I want to challenge you this week to be more present.
Put your phone away.
Silence the notifications.
Don't let them control your day.
If someone truly needs you, they'll find a way to reach you.
Maybe you're thinking, But I need my phone.
I understand.
Instead of trying to give it up all day, choose one window of time when your phone stays out of reach.
For me, I try not to get on social media until after I've spent time with God. He deserves my first attention each morning—not my notifications.
I also try to put my phone away around 6:00 p.m. most evenings. Not only does it help me be more present, but it also helps me sleep better. Too much screen time before bed can actually interfere with restful sleep.
The Freedom Is Worth It
I'll be honest.
When I first started putting my phone away, I experienced withdrawals.
It felt strange.
Sometimes it still does.
But after a few days, something beautiful happened.
I found freedom.
One of the biggest changes I noticed came when I stopped spending so much time on Facebook.
I realized how often I was being bombarded with ads telling me I needed another diet, another workout program, or another product to "fix" myself.
Without constantly seeing those messages, I felt lighter.
More content.
More at peace.
Start Small
If you're thinking, I could never do this, that's okay.
I think that's how most of us feel at first.
Start with a plan.
Choose a specific time each day to put your phone away.
Once that becomes a habit, add a little more time.
Before long, you'll discover that you're enjoying life so much that you won't miss your phone nearly as much.
Your Family Is Watching
If your phone has become a distraction from your family, imagine what could happen if you chose to be fully present instead.
Our children watch everything we do.
They often model the habits they see in us.
If they grow up watching us constantly looking at our phones, they'll likely carry those habits into their own families someday.
Let's model something different.
Let's laugh together.
Eat meals together.
Play games.
Take walks.
Have conversations.
Let's show our families what it looks like to truly be present.
The Most Important Step
My biggest piece of advice?
Pray.
Ask God to help you.
Find Scriptures that encourage you and memorize them. Recite them when you're tempted to scroll mindlessly.
We weren't meant to fight this battle alone.
God wants to help you.
He wants to free you so you can spend more time doing the things that matter most for His Kingdom.
Can social media be used for good?
Absolutely!
I use it every day to share Jesus.
But let's also remember to look people in the eyes.
Let's have conversations.
Let's encourage one another face-to-face whenever we can.
God wants to be first in your life.
He loves you deeply, and He wants you to experience the joy that comes from living with your eyes lifted toward Him instead of constantly looking down at a screen.
The Daily Grace has a great little book called Redeeming Your Phone Time. I enjoyed it; it's a quick read too.
Here are some scriptures that may ecourage you:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor. 12:9-10
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires, but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:5-6
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