A proverb, in the general sense, is a simple way of expressing a well-known truth or platitude based on common sense or experience. In the biblical sense however, it is much the same in that the proverbs are imbued with ancestral wisdom and have been passed down from generation to generation—emphasizing it as a pre-requisite to living well. What makes the biblical proverbs definitively different from the rest however, is that it takes the position that this ancient wisdom finds its origin in God, and that a reverence, awe, and wonder in this God, otherwise known as the fear of the Lord, would be the beginning of holding and sharing this wisdom for the betterment of oneself and for others.
The Ancient Way: God Is Slow And Supreme
When a man is instructed as in Proverbs 23 (English Standard Version, 2016) to “Listen to his father, who gives him life, and to not despise his mother when she is old” (v22), and that he should “buy the truth and not sell it—that is wisdom, instruction, and insight as well” (v23), whether the man’s father or mother figure are of blood or by spirit, it reveals to us the manner in which God intended wise insightful instruction to be delivered to us—through the kind of slow loving relationships that can be trusted and have our best interests at heart; with our relationship with God being supreme because it would inform all other relationships. This has been the ancient way. But the times have changed through the ages, and with them, the procedures and speed at which many might find their counsel and direction have changed with it.
The New Way: Sidestepping The Slow Road Of Sanctification
With modern technology, man has access to almost anything that he wants and at a very rapid rate. Simply clicking “Buy Now” has the ability to have anything from ball-bearings for your rollerblades, to a crochet potato toy that comes with some words of inspiration arriving at your doorstep just the next day. You can add to your collection the freshest sneakers on the scene that comes from the other end of the earth. Your favorite musicians latest release can show up in your music library simply by asking your phone to do that for you. Order your favorite authors limited edition just published and receive it for reading on your device practically instantly. If you don’t like the community that you are in, with a little scrolling, and a click or two on your device, you can have a new one. That’s right, a new community; and particularly a community that does not challenge false thinking. You can choose a group of people to virtually surround yourself with that will not challenge you or have any interest in making known to you your blind-spots; something that can only happen amongst others. Oddly, if you don’t like who you are, you can side-step the slower road of character formation and just create a new profile. With just six steps, you can dispose of the old you, choose a new name, decide on a date of birth, contemplate which gender might best suit you and the communities that you would like to “spend your time in”, add a password to protect this new you, and then, start introducing this new self to the rest of the world in which ever way that you desire.
A person can enter into a saga of trial and error as they explore which virtual identity works best for them in the virtual public domains that they play in, and by the time they have arrived at an expression of supposed self, they are so far from who they actually are in the real world, at this point taking up residence in the chaotic realms of what phycologists call, cognitive dissonance; a life of utter chaos within, which, if left unchecked, translates to a plethora of mental health issues.
Instant Gratification vs. The Wrestle: Let God Do The Renaming
In an era that glorifies and emphasises both virtual identity and instant gratification, social media has offered itself as a tool to the world with the ability to nurture both. What do we think about that? What do we think about the influence that social media has made in culture today, and certainly will continue to make, as long as we have the platform with very few limits as to how we should use it? How is this influencing our relationship with God, ourselves, and with others? More specifically, is social media proving to be an alternative to the wrestle for the blessing of good character? Dr. David Feddes wrote in essay:
The gospel of instant success appeals to us when we want shortcuts, easy solutions, problem-free pleasure. But most of us need a struggle, a fight, before we can become the people we’re meant to be and have God’s blessing. And remember, even if we get the blessing, it can leave us with a painful limp, not in perfect health and comfort. (Dr. David Feddes, 2005, Wrestling with God, p.1)
Feddes was referring to Jacobs wrestle with God (Genesis 32:22-32), labouring that it is important for us to wrestle to win in life even if it leaves us wounded. Better to be a wounded man with good character than it is to run so far from one's self that one forgets who they are altogether. Should we face our fears and wrestle with them, we stand the chance of finding victory over our shortfalls, becoming the victorious men and woman God had always intended to produce from the wrestle. That we would be renamed by Him, as Jacob was to Israel (v28). It is imperative to recognise that it was God who, after the wrestle with Jacob, renamed Jacob. Not Jacob. There is something laughable about a man that falls under the pressures of life but valiantly renames himself on the way down, presenting himself to the world as some kind of victor in a bid to hide his shortfalls. That is not the same as facing the crushing trials of life, but humbly turning toward God, making claim in His strength that glories in our weaknesses. The former is the pride that imminently leads to destruction. The latter is the humility that precedes honor.
A Tilt Toward The Negative
I offer that social media would more likely tilt toward being a negative influence in culture for both children and adults alike. But being that the first social media website only reached our fingertips in the late 90’s as a platform called Six-Degrees, and that social media was only really made popular by the release of the iPhone as late as 2007/8 with Facebook reaching 100-million users, jumping to an extraordinary 2.26-billion users by 2018 with the trajectory not declining to date—for that reason, there is no long-standing empirical evidence that defines social media as implicitly negative or positive. Where we are in the survey says it depends greatly on the user and whether they can or cannot exercise self-control. Which leads me to a small portion of Psalm 119 (English Standard Version, 2016) where the psalmist implores God, “With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!” (v10) These are old words that the psalmist emblazoned on the pages of our bible, yet they ring true with all of the distractions calling out for our attention today. It seems to me a different kind of evidence has been on display since ancient times. This is why I add that social media brings with it “a likely tilt” toward being a negative influence because we, as humans, are easily distracted and prone to wander.
Don’t Sway Away From The Fiery Trials Of Character Formation
It seems to me that social media has the ability to sway a person from the long term benefits we read of in James 1 (English Standard Version, 2016). A virtual community with no desire to see you mature and become more like Christ can be temporarily convenient because it will not ask the hard questions. It is the type of temporal convenience that is in opposition to the “trials of various kinds” (v2). Side-stepping the slower road of character formation will prove to be far more than just inconvenient in the future, it will be a tragedy. Should we heed the call of the inconvenience of facing our trials today, and “endure the test that produces steadfastness” (v3), allowing for “steadfastness to have its full effect” (v4), we nudge ourselves closer to “being complete, lacking in nothing” (v4), looking more like Christ, but we must share with the psalmist the desire to not wander from His commands, and seek Him with all of our hearts, keeping close those (in-person) relationships that God encourages us to have as said in Proverbs 23.
May you have the self-control to fend off the relentless temptations to sway you away from the deep character work that God wants to do in you, and may you have the wherewithal to discern the difference between hedonistic “problem-free” pleasures, and the fiery character forming trials and tribulations that James speaks of.
In kind.