The Social Media Monster and How to Deal with ItMonday- How much social media do I need to be happy?When I first got my phone, I would love posting pictures on Instagram. I would spend hours at a time looking at people’s posts and comments about each other. I would love to “like” pictures all day, wasting time. Even though I was spending time trying to connect with others I felt empty and isolated. I was beginning to see my self-worth and identity in how many “likes” I would receive or how many followers I could get.Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Musical.ly. These are all places that we are expected to go to connect with friends, post pictures, and comment and like each other’s photos and messages. Social media is everywhere. It can either be used for good purposes, or sadly, bad ones. It’s like a double-edged sword in that it can be a great way to connect, but at the same time, it has the potential to be a big distraction. If taken too far, social media can even become an addiction. Even our parents can be addicted to checking it and posting on it too. It can be hard to put down your device or phone and have a real conversation. Social media or too much time spent on any kind of media may be blocking your relationship with God. Mark 4, verse 19 says, “19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” (NIV). It’s important to have a sense of community. A big part of it is social media. It’s almost, in a way, expected by others. It can be fun to connect with friends online, but nothing should totally replace one-on-one time with a friend. The same thing goes with developing your friendship with Jesus through prayer and reading His Word.Prayer: Father God, thanks for giving me community with friends and family. Help me to balance time spent on social media with the time I spend with You and with my true friends. Help me to realize that trying to fill my needs with social media doesn’t even compare to what’s in store for me with You in heaven. Give me strength and the desire to put down my device and spend more time with You.Application: What is your favorite source of social media? How many hours do you think you spend on it a day? Discuss with your parents. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Dare: Spend one day of every week this month free from social media. Spend the time you would have spent on social media with God, friends, or family.Prayer Request: Write down two people you know that are frequently on social media. It can even be yourself. Pray that they’ll take a little bit of their time usually spent on social media to be with God, friends or family. (Write their names down, and pray.) 1.________________________ 2.________________________

DEVOTIONAL

Week 2: Engage Social Media Carefully