The truth is, more likely than not, our social media use is having a greater negative impact on us than a positive impact on others.

A quick search shows that:

• Some estimates say as a low as 1.5% of the people who follow you on social media will actually see what you post. (But you can have an impact on 100% of the people in your home!)

• On average adults are spending 2 hours and 30 minutes on social media a day.

• For teens, the average time spent on social media ranges from as low as 4.1 hours per day for 13-year-olds to as high as 5.8 hours per day for 17-year-olds. Girls spend nearly an hour more on social media than boys.

• The average American spends 4 hours and 30 minutes on their phone a day. (My daily average this week has been just over 3 hours. It’s been a lot higher.)

I won’t argue the pros and the cons, the good and the bad, of our phones and social media and the internet. We use our screens for a lot if not most of what we do for our daily work and lives now, whether we “need” to or not. (Because it inhibited his creativity, I read a favorite of mine and brilliant Oscar-winning Director only uses a “dumb” phone. Ever. So I guess it’s possible!) I’ve had an iPhone for 14 years now and joined Instagram and Facebook 13 years ago. I’ve had X (when it was Twitter) and various other social media accounts over the years.

As a pastor, I’ve made comments on social media use in sermons and posts. And I have, when necessary, publicly called us out on our social media behavior. Then I called us up, since we represent Elim Grace Church and above all Jesus Christ to our community.

But recently a personal and lingering, convicting question has been, what if I’m not quiet enough or still long enough to hear the voice of Jesus? What if I’m tuning in to too many voices? What would happen if for any fixed amount of time in a day I didn’t tune my ear to the voice of social media? Would I find the space and the time to hear Jesus’ voice more clearly? I know He wants to speak to me.

If there’s one thing I despise, it’s religious pride. My pride in my spiritual zeal often leads me to feel I’m better than others. Yet, my zeal too often masks and covers up my spiritual pride. “But look at my prayer life and all my good works!”

Dear Elim Grace, my pastoral goal in this short post is not to add guilt or shame for how long we’re on social media (or the internet or our phone or any screen). The goal is simply this: to urge us on towards asking, desiring and proactively seeking to know and to hear the voice of Jesus above all.

For one week, what if I didn’t go on social media from 9-5 (or 12-3 or for any fixed amount of time)? So that I could be more tuned in to the voice of Jesus. So that other lesser important voices might be quieted. Not silenced forever, but quieted for a moment. What would happen? Would it be worth it?