Screens & SoulsSample

Setting boundaries

My greatest fear for Christians in our digital age is not online bullying or mature websites. It’s the impact that all this scrolling has on our soul’s ability to stare at Jesus.

When you see something new, interesting, arousing, shocking, or dramatic, your brain releases the feel-good chemical called dopamine. However, just like with any other high, the happy feeling wears off and you need more stimulation to feel the same way. You need faster, funnier, better, new, and now. Soon real life will be boring by comparison, and that boredom will feel unbearable. You’ll reach for your phone at stoplights, in store aisles, anytime, all the time. Why? Because you have trained your brain to need it.

So guess what happens when you go to church? You can turn off your phone, but can you calm your brain? Can you focus on your faith and fix your thoughts on Jesus without your brain going wild?

Hebrews 3:1 says, “Fix your thoughts on Jesus.” Don’t scroll through your Jesus with a quick like and a share; stop and stare. Contemplate the compassion that took him to the cross. Meditate on the mercy that held him there. Fix your mind on the forgiveness you have because of God’s Son.

That is what your phone will rarely allow you to do. So before your screens sabotage your soul, cry out to God for grace, wisdom, self-control, and the strength to set the boundaries you need to protect your brain. Your ability to think about Jesus depends on it.