Balancing Social Media and Spiritual Growth

 I recently did an "Ask me Anything" on my personal Instagram and received a very thoughtful question; 

"How to manage your time on social media and grow in holiness too?!?"

This question is super important and actually something I've struggled with a lot myself recently.  It is so easy to pick up your phone to scroll through posts and reels yet we make it so hard to set aside a chunk of the same amount of time to read a spiritual book or just converse with God in prayer.  I've tried setting social media timers on my phone but of course, I can just snooze them.  Once you've made a habit of gravitating to social media, it's hard to get disciplined.

The first option I've thought of is deleting social media entirely and that would certainly work.  But that's not always necessary.  Instead, we can develop our spirits by cultivating discipline and practicing self-denial.  Yes, this is very hard but it certainly can be done.  We think, because of the addictive nature of our phones, that we can't overcome the struggle but anything is possible with God's grace and this is a perfect way to grow spiritually.  As followers of Christ, we are called to imitate Him and He certainly practiced perfect self-denial in His agony and on the road to Calvary.  You may really have to commit yourself but it will definitely be worth it.  Don't rely on social media timers to keep you accountable.  Practice discipline and hold yourself accountable.

A small way I am trying to balance social media with growth in holiness is to not pick up my phone and turn off airplane mode until I've prayed morning prayers.  This may seem very small but once you turn notifications back on, one can lead to another, and then you've missed your time for morning prayer entirely.

Another small way to practice growth in holiness can stem from our time on social media.  We scroll and scroll so quickly, often skimming most captions or not reading them at all.  Instead of scrolling right past that Saint quote in the caption or story, read it all the way through.  Read it thoughtfully.  Take the opportunity on social media to learn about your faith if it comes across your screen.  If you find a good quote or image that just really speaks to you, turn off the phone and meditate on it for a minute, but don't pick the phone back up again.  Instead, let it sink in while you get back to life!

There are so many good resources on social media that share valuable truths of our Faith.  The trick is to balance consuming these with our actual time in growth with God.  Placing morning prayers before turning on your phone is just one small example of this.  Placing quality over quantity is important too.  Don't allow yourself to follow as many sources as possible but instead, pick and choose the most reliable sources that uphold your values.  Then you'll be sure to consume purposeful, edifying content.

Let's soak in the beauty of the world around us, imperfect though it may be, instead of just through the screen of our phone.  Invest yourself in your family instead of wishing for the perfect Instagram family.  But most importantly, spend time in prayer with God instead of just reading about prayer in someone else's posts.  That is the surest way of growing in holiness.

Our Lord is waiting for you to put down the phone, step away from the computer, and just be with Him.