TikTok…or Not?

We as youth live in an era in which you should never be bored. On your phone, there are social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat to name just a few of the countless apps available. You can watch nearly anything on TV or on your computer. No doubt…much of us would rather look at the lives of our favorite athletes or celebrities and watch the most mesmerizing TV shows and/or movies with access to several genres.  But it’s very important that we don’t let these things consume our time. It is harder now to balance my time with all the new and latest attractions, but we can’t lose sight of dedicating our time to what’s most important in our lives and that’s time with Jesus.

One app that I have on my electronic device is the Bible and there are several Bible apps available that most of us never even think about downloading. I have to make sure my screen time doesn’t define me but still make time for the things that matter most. Like time with my family, time dedicated to school, and most importantly, time in prayer and reading the Bible are things that I personally value. Although I am young, I still need a relationship with Jesus.  I just set a time to read a few verses in Proverbs every day. Just a few verses can go a long way, and it provides wisdom shared by King David’s son, Solomon.  Psalms 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” This implies that the Lord can show us how to “apply” our time correctly and also wisely. This also suggests that some things we spend time on are futile. There is an account in Luke 10: 40-42 where Martha was busy serving while Jesus was teaching, and her sister Mary was listening at Jesus’ feet. Martha asked Jesus did he not care that Mary was just sitting there while she was doing all the serving alone? But Jesus pointed out that Mary had chosen the needful thing which was to listen to God’s word. This simply means that we decide the way we want to spend our time, but the Lord can always help us and lead us on how to distribute our time wisely and towards the needful things.

So the next time you’re craving to see what is out on Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok, remember the “needful” things that you probably should spend your time on. Instead of thinking of these things as boring, view them as constructive elements and pathways towards eternal life where we will live forever with Jesus, and there will be no more Tikking and Tokking.