We live in a culture that is becoming increasingly more conscious regarding our diet and proper exercise. Organic, locally sourced, fair trade, non-GMO, gluten-free, paleo diets, juicing, quinoa, even brussels sprouts are trending.

There’s no shortage of health food trends to keep you fit like; Ghee, Kombucha, kefir, kimchi, lactose-fermented beets and other vegies, chia, and pawning off mashed cauliflower as potatoes. That’s just what I’ve encountered in my home, I’m not sure what you’ve experienced.

EXERCISE?

Then add to the mix of wellness, the exercise craze with CrossFit, Pilates, Tai Chi, health club memberships, water workouts, virtual boxing, planking, parkour, Fitbits, wellness coaches, exercise apps—and goat yoga?

It’s all supposed to make us healthier, happier, and we think we might find a way to live forever!

FOOD AND EXERCISE AFFECTS US

Now, the reason behind all of this is because our bodies are affected by the food we eat and whether we regularly exercise.

A junk food diet is going to have a negative effect on your body in the long term if that’s all you eat. And if you don’t get any exercise, you will likely be less healthy. Even the Bible affirms the benefits of exercise.

1 Timothy 4:8 says, “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”

WHAT ABOUT YOUR MEDIA DIET?

So, what does your media diet look like? Are you as eager to make wise and healthy choices about entertainment and tech use?

According to Neilsen media, the average adult consumes 11 hours of media every day. I’ve often wondered if it is possible for people to reach a media saturation threshold.

Is there a point when all your waking hours are inundated with screens? And yet you recognize there is still something missing in your life but there’s no time to find out what it is.

WAS WALL-E PROPHETIC?

The animated film WALL-E anticipates a future where people are continuously fixed on a screen, and some are gradually awakening to the need for real relational contact.

Was that prophetic? Maybe not. Was it insightful? Definitely.

One of the more memorable scenes in the movie is when two men are conversing via video conferencing while floating along in their transport chairs right next to each other unaware of each other’s proximity.

Soon after, the robot named WALL-E accidentally causes a man to fall out of his chair. His overweight body and atrophied muscles leave the man floundering on the ground, helpless.

WALL-E offers him a helping hand and kindly introduces himself. The “personal” contact startles the man yet he is intrigued as something begins to awaken inside.

It’s a shame when a robot is more personal than the persons.

A MEDIA SATURATION THRESHOLD?

How close have we come to a similar social dynamic today? Screen time is continuing to increase in our daily lives.

Is there a media saturation threshold?

Does there come a point in someone’s life where a longing for something better, something real, something personal, something eternal begins to break through the never-ending digital stimuli?

I truly believe that many youths and adults are finding themselves pixeled out and more aware of a need for personal change. Yet they feel trapped and helpless and are not sure how to find freedom.

They are awakening to the need but unsure of the path ahead. Most importantly they are beginning to see a possible correlation between their distracted lives and their distance from Christ and other important relationships.

AN EMPTY SOUL?

Are you finding that your plate is full at the end of the all-you-can-eat media buffet, but your soul is increasingly more empty? Have you found yourself wandering in the digital wilderness and wondering if there’s something more to life?

Are you concerned about those around you who are struggling to break free? Are you empathetic towards those who are numb and unaware that they are exchanging a truly satisfying life for a dissatisfying virtual existence offered conveniently through today’s entertainments?

https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2018/time-flies-us-adults-now-spend-nearly-half-a-day-interacting-with-media/

We understand that more power can result in greater benefits when it comes to power tools, but we also have to be aware of any necessary precautions.

Smartphones are powerful tools.

Think about everything you have access to in the palm of your hand: a phone, a TV, a computer, the internet, a video player, a video conferencing device, a game device, a word processor, a weather station and so much more.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO?

You probably haven’t stopped to imagine what it would have looked like 25 years ago for someone to have all of this with them at all times?

They would be hauling around a cart full of devices and a generator to power them all. Others would have thought that person was crazy!

IS TECHNOLOGY UNDER YOUR CONTROL?

Now we have all these powerful tools in a pocket-sized device, but are we handling all this power with care? Is technology under your control or are you under its spell and being controlled by technology?

What steps will you take today to keep technology from taking your life hostage?

What’s on your digital plate?

I like to describe our present culture as an all-you-can-eat media and entertainment buffet, and we pile a lot of content on our plates!

Have you thought about how your daily media diet affects your spiritual health? Family health? Physical health? Emotional health? Mental health?

TWO MAIN CONCERNS

There are two main concerns when it comes to the all-you-can-eat media buffet that we experience every day.

The first is the amount of media and entertainment on our plates each day, week, and year – this is what I refer to as your media CONSUMPTION.

The well-known Christian leader, George Barna, once wrote, “Media exposure has become America’s most widespread and serious addiction.”

The second concern we need to consider is the quality of the media on our plate. Is it healthy, or junk food, or possibly toxic? This is what I refer to as media CONTENT.

When you consider that it takes 15,140 drips just to make a gallon, it’s hard to imagine such a small issue causing such massive waste. Yet bit by bit, over time, even tiny leaks can become major problems.

WHAT DO DRIPS HAVE TO DO WITH TECHNOLOGY?

Now you may be asking, what does this have to do with technology? What we just learned about water waste is a good analogy of what happens to time when there are “leaking faucets” in our lives.

We have been losing focus one drip at a time and the smartphone is the biggest culprit. Continual use of your phone throughout the day doesn’t seem like much but it is like a dripping faucet which adds up.

PHONE STATS

89% of teenagers own a smart phone in the US. (USA Today)

The average user in the US spends 5.4 hours on their phone each day. (ZDNet)

People check their phone 58 times a day on average. (RescueTime)

70% of mobile sessions are less than 2 minutes. (RescueTime)

Short-lasting mental blocks created by distractions like looking at your phone can cost as much as 40% of your productive time. (RescueTime)

In the US, most time using smartphones is spent on social media, an average of 64.5 minutes a day on Facebook and 48 minutes on Instagram (ZDNet)

Teens who spend five hours or more per day on electronic devices, including smartphones, are more likely to face mental health issues. They are 71% more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and 51% more likely to get less than seven hours of sleep at night. (Techjury.net)

We have been losing focus one drip at a time.

Do you ever feel like your spiritual fuel tank is on E? Do you feel that life doesn’t seem to make sense, God seems so distant and removed from your experience?

Are relationships in your life strained, and you find that there’s something very comforting about zoning out as you binge watch a show, or escape into a virtual world through gaming?

Or are you a glutton for punishment by making yourself depressed by seeing what everyone else is posting on social media, or getting lost for hours on end in the endless rabbit trails of YouTube videos to amuse yourself?

YOU’RE NOT ALONE

Well, you’re not alone. And you are also not alone in feeling that gnawing emptiness when everything goes quiet on occasion, but you’re not sure what to do with yourself. You’re uncomfortable with stillness and quiet.

You might be thinking, “How did you know?”

It’s because many of these things I’m describing are so common now, but many people are not usually looking for solutions for fear of others thinking they’re weird or there’s something wrong with them.

So, what does this have to do with fuel?

HOW IS SCREEN TIME AFFECTING YOU?

If you feel that you are running on empty and yet your life is inundated with a steady stream of screen time in various forms, it’s time to start thinking deeper about how your screen time may be affecting you. How it may be robbing you of real fuel that you need in life when it comes to your physical, social, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.

If you think of media, or entertainment as a kind of fuel, and you are consuming lots of it, why do you suppose you still have that empty feeling?

THE WRONG KIND OF FUEL

Because it’s the wrong kind of fuel for the deepest needs of your life. Those needs are like a special engine that is sitting idle because it doesn’t run on the fuel of digital media. The tank is empty, and you feel it.

Maybe it’s time to exchange some screen time for some quiet time with God. You’ll discover that your empty tank will begin to get filled.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8a