I'm curious…

 Where do you immediately turn when you need help?

In this digital age, many of us grab our phone or computer.  We quickly Google a question to find out the answer.  

My baby has a fever.  Google will tell me what to do.  

My daughter is getting bullied.  Google will offer me advice from child development experts. 

I need something gluten free to make for dinner.  Google will give me delicious recipes to choose from.  

I've done this so many times, and I know I'm not alone.

The truth is that, while technology can be a blessing, it can also be a curse. The curse comes when we turn to Google before we turn to God.  

We need God, not Google, first.  

Consider this verse from Psalm 121:1-2, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”  

Today’s mom, if she were being honest, might find the following statement more of a reality: 

“I turn my eyes down to my phone – where does my help come from?  My help comes from Google, the holder of all information.”  

In this screen-driven world, we can get our wires crossed.  The answers to your family’s problems aren’t found on homepages or search engines.  The answers you need are found in the ancient pages of God’s Word and by speaking to the source of wisdom Himself.  

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”  

In other words, when your toddler is screaming or your teenager is rebelling, ask God for wisdom first.  Have a conversation with your Heavenly Father and He will give you wisdom for your life and leadership at home. 

Challenge: When you need help understanding your life, when you need patience for your girl when she gets under your skin, it’s time to pray.  Don’t turn to the advice column or psychologist first.  

Action Step: Instead, ask God for a dose of wisdom. 

Scripture tells us again and again that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. That fear doesn’t mean you’re scared to talk to God as if He were waiting with a lightning bolt to zap you.  The fear of the Lord is a deep awe and respect for His name.

You recognize that He is God, and you are not (and neither is the phone in your pocket).    

Our phones are becoming increasingly important.  A global study by Cisco Systems suggests that nine of ten people under the age of thirty suffer from “nomophobia” which is the fear of being disconnected from our gadgets. We rely on the data on our phones to make decisions from where we should eat to where we should send our kids to school. I’m not saying it’s wrong to Google information. I’m just saying we must be careful to depend on God first, not technology. 

What’s true of us becomes true of our daughters.  

If we struggle with nomophobia (the fear of being without our phone), guess what?  Our girls will probably struggle with it too.  

As information is instant and tailor-made for exactly what we want, there is less that’s unknown.  We check the weather, traffic, and school updates at our fingertips. We have more confidence and more control – and less need for God.  

Think about it.  Could you go a whole day without talking to God?  Probably. Could you go a whole day without your cell phone or Wi-Fi?  Ouch, that would hurt more wouldn’t it? We are ever dependent on our calorie trackers, social media posts, playlists, texts, and emails.  

Instead of nurturing a dependency on the Divine, we’ve nurtured a dependency on data.  We talk to God once in a while at our convenience, but we need our phones and devices 24/7.

Living in a digital world as a mom can be frenetic, fast-paced, and overwhelming.  Being online constantly throughout the day is not calming.  

Remember the words of the Psalmist:  I lift my eyes to the mountains.  You don’t have to wait until a vacation to experience the calming effect of being in nature.  You can talk a five-minute prayer walk around your home or simply look outside the window as you talk to the Creator of it all.  There’s a richness only silence and stillness offers but we seldom have the patience to wait on God in our Insta world.            

Today our idols aren’t golden calves or wooden images.  

But maybe they’re phones and tablets and laptops and flatscreens.  

Of course technology should be used and can be used for good in your life as the mother and mentor of your girl.  But if you follow the culture’s growing dependence on technology, you won’t need God nearly as much as you need WiFi.  

It’s time for us to go against the grain and make sure God comes first, way before Google.  

If you're looking to help your girl learn how to put God first in her life and honor Him through her use of technology, be sure to watch our free video series, Screen Time: 3 Reasons Why Your Daughter Can’t Stop. Click here for access. These topics changed my life and how I lead girls (including my own daughter) forever…