Social Sanity in an Insta WorldSample

My breath quickened. I’d been scrolling Instagram when I saw a friend’s post: she was pregnant.

Days before, I’d been stretched out on a hospital bed while a nurse confirmed that my womb was empty. My friend’s announcement completely drained my focus and my joy. Grief and longing overwhelmed my soul.

It’s not the first time my day has been derailed by a few minutes on social media. Sometimes I leave my scroll feeling motivated, inspired, and encouraged in my faith. Other times, I feel disappointed, anxious, or overwhelmed.

As God’s image-bearers, we’re all hardwired to respond to things with emotions—he gave us the ability to experience satisfaction in a job well done, relief in forgiveness, and anger at injustice. The question is not, “Is social media affecting my emotions?” but rather, “Am I aware of the influence social media is having?”

King Solomon wrote in the book of Proverbs, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flows the springs of life” (Prov. 4:23). God calls us to pay careful attention to what we’re seeing, thinking about, and believing.

How can do we do that well? Let’s look at the example of the Psalms.

In Psalm 42, the writer asks himself a simple question: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” (Ps. 42:5a). Rather than judging his emotions, beating himself up for feeling discouraged, or raging over his circumstances, he sought to pinpoint the cause of his inner turmoil in God’s presence.

When we tell God how we feel, we’re met with his grace to help in times of need, his peace to comfort us, his joy to fill us, and his wisdom to guide us (Rom. 15:13; Phil. 4:4–8; Heb. 4:16; James 1:5).

But processing our emotions is not the same as letting them lead us. The writer of Psalm 42 tells his soul what to do: “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

This can make all the difference in our own social media usage and emotional turmoil.

So when you’re feeling emotional after a bout on Facebook, let me suggest this: Dig a little to find out where those feelings are coming from. Share them with the Lord. And then preach the gospel to your heart. God’s Word satisfies, nourishes, strengthens, revives, and restores our souls—always supplying what we need (Ps. 19:7–14).