I came home last night out of hours of caregiving. It’s been a challenging season well, for many reasons, but lately it’s been harder as my loved one’s inabilities are making it difficult to find anything she can do. She’s bored and so am I but the options have run dry.
So I came home emotionally and physically fatigued and popped onto the ipad. I stumbled upon a new channel that is extremely engaging and fun. And unwittingly I spent the next 4 hours watching their videos. I went to bed and now I’m awake as it’s the morning.
But I’m awake and washed out. Really washed out tired.
My first thought was that once again I realize that screen time does not give live as much as it takes it. It does not energize us but subtly depletes our strength. And it’s so easy to do especially when it’s winter, dark, and the fatigue in my body from CFS is so strong.
Then I thought of a second thing. I’ve been listening to a lot of Ravi Zacharias debates and Q&A’s online. He is one of the world’s leading apologetic evangelists.
In some of his teachings he talks about how people do not get to the place of meaninglessness, hopelessness and despair through too much pain. But rather they arrive there most often from too much pleasure. Too many rich people who have everything in the world feel this most acutely.
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. Lk 8:14
And as I was thinking about this I realize how much utter danger we are in as a global society. The internet makes pleasures easily accessible. Want to be entertained? There’s YouTube and for that. Want to deviate into sin? There’s pornography at the touch of the fingertips. Want superficial, platonic relationships? There’s Facebook and Twitter for that. Want to unload anger and frustration? There are comment sections for that.
All at the touch of a few keys on our keyboards.
I also remember Ravi teaching how truth in these modern times is coming through videos and screens instead of study, reason and authority. People are choosing to think via what they see with their eyes.
For example the movie Braveheart and is an extraordinary movie. But so very little is known about William Wallace that the entire movie is mostly conjecture. And yet, because this was put in a movie, generations from now people will still think that the “history” taught in the movie is real history.
And in the religious sector it’s a video war. Whoever makes the best produced videos with the largest number of likes and comments “wins.” Fading away is study and reason to teach us truth.
The implications of these realities is only now starting to unfold. But our connectedness means the horror of the fruit will be on global, epic proportions. And I’m afraid we are not so far away as we would like.
And the reality is not just for the secular world but very much in the religious world as well. While there have been calls for people to come back to reason, faith, and truth that comes through the Word, study and actual relationship, I think we’ve passed the point of return. We’ve created a cultural system that is slowly making monsters of us all.
But God always has the last Word. And the first Word. In fact in many ways, these developments can speed the gospel message. Even if I’m sitting home sick and not feeling well, I can teach and share and speak to others from a platform online. It’s opened doors never imagined.
In this race for truth, faith and life, I hope the gospel wins out. And daily I see hopes of that as more people speak more publicly with their testimony of faith.
But there’s also a dire warning in it for all of us. One that should trouble us deeply:
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,” – Mt 24:12
Love will grow cold it says in the last days. Internet has made this reality so unbelievably easy it’s frightening. People can go online and be cruel without consequence. And it doesn’t take long for nations to have uprisings empowered by social media, shooters to have information on how to be violent, and the average person so engaged online that they emotional become disconnected to the people around them.
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,” – Mt 24:12
When I see all this, my only prayer becomes this.
“Come, Lord Jesus.” Rev 2:20
