Trend is defined as "The general direction in which something tends to move". To me that sounds gradual, like a steady climb. However in our culture 'trends' can literally be from day to day. For example, I recently joined thousands of women for a Christian conference and the whole weekend I heard, "We're trending today!" Today? Yes. Just today. But that was a big deal. To be the #1 trend on Facebook and Twitter for the day was kind of exciting. Honestly, I felt proud to be a part of what was popular and trending for the day. I'm pretty sure a whole lot of other people felt that way too. But what happens when that day is over? When the hype is gone and the next big thing trends?
I try to watch the Today show when I have time. Recently they started doing a segment on what is trending. It's almost never something that lasts long and it's centered around what was trending that day or the day before. Literally. Like ONE day. So this 'thing' is a big deal for like a day. No joke.
Let's consider the definition of obsession. Although there are likely a lot of definitions out there I found this one and really liked it. It makes sense to me. "A compulsive, often unreasonable idea or emotion." So here's the cycle I see. We obsess over something. Let's use the example of the latest youtube video that is hilarious and captivating and was meant to be viewed by family only to find out that within 12 hours it received over 1 million views from people around the world. As we like to say-the video had gone viral. So now we are all watching this video. Obsessing over it. Sharing it on every social media site that we are connected to. Emailing it, texting it, making sure all of our family and friends have seen it. At least the ones we know that have our weird sense of humor and will laugh until their stomach hurts.
Then we realize that we just wasted 3 hours that day viewing this movie and sending it to people. Not only that but we also wasted an additional hour trying to figure out where we can buy the cute outfit the chick was sporting in the video. Wholly obsession. Now we spend at least that much time feeling completely guilty about how we have wasted time. We could have been playing with our kids, having coffee with a friend, reading our Bible, getting work done, doing laundry, shoveling snow and on and on. We then tell ourselves we have a problem and we should stop viewing youtube videos and delete our Facebook account and only text our mom for the next month until we are healed and healthy and of sound mind. Until the next morning when we come to our senses and realize that unplugging from the world will not fix our problem of not knowing when to sign off the internet. Then we hop back on the net and get bombarded with what's new and trending for that day.
The cycle begins...
Obsess over what's trending.
Obsess over our obsession of what's trending.
Move onto a new obsession to get rid of our old obsession.
It's not working you guys. We as Christians have got to come together and start attacking this for ourselves and for the next generation. How do we stop this cycle? How do we begin to put the internet in it's rightful place? To put trends on the shelf where they belong and create a new culture where real life is what's beautiful and the internet is useful and lovely without crowding in on what is sacred. Our lives are meant to be lived fully and fearlessly and in community with people-not with our screens.
I love the internet. I am so grateful we have access to just about anything at our fingertips. It makes ministry, research, connecting with people, shopping, education and so many other things more convenient, available and useful in ways we didn't have before. But as with most good advances forward come issues of self disciple and abuse.
I don't have an answer for this. I don't know if anybody really does. But what I have a is plea. I'm asking us to consider the cost of not addressing where our culture is at and will continue to head if we do not hold more tightly to the real life God has called us to and hold more loosely to obsession over what is trending.
The internet is stealing so much from us.
Charles Spurgeon says this...“If Christ is not all to you He is nothing to you. He will never go into partnership as a part Saviour of men. If He be something He must be everything, and if He be not everything He is nothing to you.” Maybe our message needs to change. Maybe what we, believers, are doing and saying and modeling on the internet needs to change. Is Christ everything to us? Are we more concerned about opening our Facebook app to see what's trending right when we wake up or are we opening our Bibles to see what's timeless and life-giving. Are we so concerned about taking a cute selfie that we are blind to the person on the other end of the screen viewing that photo that just needs to hear they are loved by their Creator. Are we posting jokes about sex when we should be offering encouragement to the man or women struggling with a porn addiction. Are we poking fun at Wal-Mart shoppers when we should be encouraging each other to go to our local Wal-Mart and pay for the groceries of those people who are in need-the ones that are often in the photos.
What are you using the internet for? What are you obsessing over while your kids cry and your husband needs prayer and your friend needs a hug. Don't get me wrong. Let's have fun too. I'm all about that. But let's consider where things lie right now. Let's get real about the problem we are facing-the elephant in our culture.
I am speaking this to myself more than anyone else. I spend too much time in places I don't belong. I obsess then feel guilty then replace it with a new obsession. You know what moves me when I consider all of this? It's this question..."Do I want my children and my grandchildren to live the way I am living? Do I want them to be a part of culture obsessed with obsession? Do I want them to ignore what matters to waste time on what is hurtful and sinful and empty?"
Jesus tells us to pick up our cross and follow Him. To die daily to ourselves. To consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus. This is my desire. That I would get out of bed each day and model a life of self-discipline and obsess over the Word of God and obsess over prayer and obsess over a life filled with Jesus Christ. I want my kids to live in a church culture where we connect more about Jesus then about the trending videos and hair styles and clothing. I want them to obsess over Jesus. More than anything. But I know that it begins with me and my husband and the culture of our home. It begins with you and I choosing to change this for the generations to come.
There's a new song by Jason Gray called 'With Every Act of Love' (listen here). In the song he says God put a million billion doors for His love to walk through, one of those doors is you.
Let's not forget that those doors Jason is singing about are you and me. Let's change the trend you guys. Let's make Jesus the trend. Let's make the church the trend. And while we're at it, let's make this trend one that last for generations. Not one day. Not one year. But generations.
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