Good Screen Time!

How many times recently have you heard someone disparage technology? Parents, schools, and employers regularly monitor the use of cell phones. Even our smartphones are programmed to calculate daily screen time and post the results on our home pages. The government is also concerned that certain platforms are being used to steal personal identities or track citizen movement. Some of this caution is justified because there are innumerable “bad actors” out there who are engaged in nefarious activities and disruptions. Daily, we read or hear about security breaches!

Image credit: clipart-library.com

Cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing industries today. A recent study revealed that there are 3.4 million cybersecurity jobs in the workforce. The number of college bachelor students seeking a degree in cyber engineering doubled from 3500 to over 7000 between 2018 and 2022! It is understandable that we should exercise some vigilance in the use of technology and avoid bad screen time.

The other side of this caution is that the same technology that can be problematic, on the one hand, can also be a useful means of keeping us connected with family and friends. Just this week, I assisted an anxious senior adult as she used the “What’s App.” She was trying to make a video call to  her daughter who was vacationing out of the country. Monique often uses that same app to communicate with her sister who lives abroad. And we regularly use cellphone technology like FaceTime for video calls and texting to keep up with many who are living near and far.

Again, this week, we used such technology to sing happy birthday to our seventeen-year-old granddaughter and to encourage our grandson who is leaving for college all in the same night. In both instances, these were video calls! We were also able to use another app on those same phones to immediately transfer some cash to three of our older grands. All of this was possible because of advanced cellphone capabilities. Fifty years ago, Monique’s mother would have given anything to be able to make a free video call from Illinois to her beloved sister in France!

Jesus lived in a day and time when a face-to-face meeting took considerable effort. People walked miles to gather in the same place with friends and loved ones. Today, one tap on the phone instantly puts us in  face-to-face contact with our people. In short, we are spoiled and take such a connection with others for granted! Remember from Bible accounts how Jesus was often hard to locate at times? Imagine how the disciples could have kept up with Him using the “Find My” app in that day? 😊  

In His last gathering with the disciples before the Cross, Jesus called His closest friends to a loving connection. “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another.” Jesus’ expectation of this connection is clear in the phrase, “In the same way I loved you.” The impact and expansiveness of this connection are underscored by what Jesus predicted. He said that when we are together and connected in Him, “This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples – when they see the love you have for each other.” (John 13:34-35, The Message).

Connectedness is a witness to Christ’s work in and through us to the world. With the excellent tools and advantages of technology at our disposal, we cannot make excuses for failing to keep up and deepen our relationships with each other!

Let’s invest in some good screen time that brings us together, and draws others to the love of Christ!

Read more: Intentional Connection

Mike Keppler, retired pastor,

active churchman and

doting grandparent.

Contact: drmjkeppler@gmail.com 

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