Setting Our Minds On Things Above

38 // April 2020 by Linda Tinney About The Author Linda Tinney is employed as a career transitions specialist at GNTC. She is wife to Neil and mom to Chason, a 5th grader She attends The Church at Rome. S ocial media is an addiction-much like drugs, alcohol, sugar, etc. My son told me this week that he heard on the radio that the average adult looks at their phone approximately 250 times a day! More than likely, it is just mindless scrolling through Pinterest, Facebook, and/or Instagram to check on what your friends are doing or what is going on in their lives. Here’s a thought-why don’t we get back to the way it was a few years ago before the social media boom-let’s call each other, plan dinners at each other’s houses, go on a weekend trip with friends. I am as guilty as the next personmy husband and I both have business pages on Facebook, we tag each other in interesting articles, and of course, we keep in touch with our friends and family. However, we could all use a break from social media.

Let’s take Pinterest for example. Ladies-you know what I’m talking about-are you really going to buy those $1000 Louboutin heels you pinned on your “my style” board or make those Santa hat skewers for your child’s Pre-K class? Don’t get me wrong-I love some Pinterest, but yet again, it’s mindless scrolling with an occasional recipe, outfit, or accessory that you purchase or try to recreate. Imagine the time that is wasted by pinning items, creating boards, planning the next holiday meal, and on and on. I’m not saying stop using Pinterest, maybe just slow down a little (I’m going to take my own advice on that one!).

Facebook—Mark Zuckerberg knew what he was doing when he created this platform. You’ve got to hand it to him-a college student creating a social media platform that went viral so quickly and connected people with each other. Wow! I would be willing to bet that he never thought that Facebook would be where it is today. It is amazing to me how many adults get some sort of satisfaction from the number of likes or the comments made or the number friends that they have on their page. For those of us that were around during the “My Space” days, it was being worried about what song we should add to our profile page. It’s funny the things you remember about one of the first social media platforms.

Let’s talk Instagram. In some ways, Instagram is a much less drama-filled platform. All you are really doing is liking other’s pics and maybe seeing clips of videos. But there again, we are subconsciously counting those little hearts (or likes) on your pics. Oh and don’t forget about the filters. You can take a picture of your 40-year old self and magically, you are 20 again! Who wouldn’t want to look younger and collect those little hearts on your picture.

Obviously, the Bible doesn’t mention social media, but it does mention “wordly things”. There are lots of verses that mention “things” here on earth. Look at Colossians 3:2. It states: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Like my husband tells me, you can’t take things with you. So, think about that when you ooh and aah over that Louis Vuitton bag or that friend that has more likes than you on their pictures.