Social Sanity in an Insta WorldSample

Handling social media well can be a bit like cooking. While we wish for a precise recipe—delete this account, follow this influencer, or log off for this long—creating the right recipe for healthy social media use is more like adding ingredients to taste. We need wisdom to build good habits.

In Proverbs 9, we see that Wisdom is crying out for us to listen. She’s there in the social media marketplace too. Look for women of wisdom, who love Jesus and share truth from his Word. Look for your church’s Facebook page, so you can connect there for advice and friendship. Look for local friends, so you can delight with them or offer help when you next see them.

Unfortunately, Folly is calling, too. We may see her in the sheer amount of time we spend online, when we could be praying for someone, talking with our family, or volunteering at church. Or we may recognize Folly in the way social media affects our thoughts. We can feel overly anxious after reading about world events, lonely after seeing photos of others gathering, or doubtful about our faith after seeing someone else reject God’s goodness. Folly can also direct us toward discontentment, unkind judgments, bitterness, or envy of someone’s possessions or accomplishments.

Wisdom and Folly are both crying out—thankfully, we know how to choose: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Prov. 9:10).

How do we do that? Three ways:

1. God’s Word: Read the Bible, meditate on the Bible, listen to Bible, study the Bible, memorize the Bible. Our greatest problem isn’t spending too much time on social media, but not spending enough time in our Bibles. We need to add more of what’s good into our routines instead of only subtracting what’s potentially harmful.
2. God’s help: God—not our experience, our age, or our understanding—is the source of all wisdom. Prayerfully ask him to grant you wisdom in who you follow, what you post, and how much time you spend there. He gives generously to all who ask (James 1:5).
3. God’s people: Do you know a woman whose walk with the Lord you respect? Seek out these women and ask for guidance.

God longs for you to walk in the path of life. Whatever choices you make on social media, let me encourage you: spend time with the Lord. Don’t settle for the crumbs of social media when you’re offered the option of feasting with the King. Choose what’s best. Choose time with Jesus.