Use Time Wisely

I read an interesting article about the lack of team chemistry in sports these days due to modern technology.  This claim has been substantiated by many coaches at the professional level.  It used to be that when the team rode the bus, traveled on planes, or sat around in the dressing rooms, they would be talking with one another.  Camaraderie grew between the players as they ate food, told stories, cracked jokes, made fun of each other, or shared in ridiculous antics.  A good team became better because players were not just teammates but friends.  There was a large overlap between personal life and the playing field.

Where there used to be conversations, now there is silence between people.  Everyone has their headphones on or their ear buds in.  A little world is created where the programming, playlist, and activities are all controlled by the user.  It is all about me.  People play mindless games on their mobiles to fill the time, or surf the net on their tablets.  Silence means distance, even when you share a seat.  Quoting Adrian Dater, the writer for SI.com:  "The rise of smartphones, with all their instant-communication and entertainment options, have created insular worlds into which distracted players too often retreat instead of bonding with teammates."  The ironic thing is that people are still bored stiff!

It isn't only team sports which have suffered from this unbridled advance of technology:  families all over the world face this all too common disaster.  Mobile phones used to be used only in case of emergency.  But now they operate as a phone, video camera, personal computer, mp3 player, movie theater, television, and gaming system in one.  Parents and kids are easily sucked into an alternate reality that literally drains half of your productive waking hours away.  Instead of playing board games, everyone sits on the lounge playing their own game, sending text messages, or chatting with friends who are sitting on a lounge somewhere else.  Without restraints, life flows in the direction of least resistance.  Technology can be very helpful, but without strict limits and guidelines it is dangerous and destructive.

As a pastor my concern is not only with individuals and families, but the state of people's relationship with God.  If sports teams are feeling the pinch, if families are becoming virtual strangers in their own homes, how much is addiction to technology robbing God of the close relationships He desires and deserves!  Here is a strange thing to consider:  instead of a son confiding in his parents, he shares his struggles with a grown man on another continent he has never seen; instead of a daughter spending time with God in prayer, she plays games for hours; instead of spending time with her husband, a wife night after night chats late with people she doesn't even care about or will ever meet.  And why don't we spend time studying the scripture, praying, and having close family time?  Because we don't have the time.  Yeah right.  We all have the same amount of time:  we must choose to use our time productively doing things which really matter by investing in family and eternity.

I offer this challenge:  place limits on how, when, and how often you and your children spend time utilizing technology for personal gratification.  You may find it hard to abide by your own rules!  If this is the case, consider that you might have a problem that will not go away on its own.  Give up things that draw you away from God.  Seek the LORD and allow Him to order your day and the use of your time.  As parents, let me remind you that you are completely responsible for the actions of your children.  Take the reins and hold them firmly.  If you child or teen responds with tears and tantrums, you are doing the right thing!  Stand fast and stay strong!  As John Wesley says, "Never, on any account, give a child anything that it cries for."  Take control of your personal lives and your families, for the devil would like nothing more than for us to twiddle our thumbs all the way to our graves.