Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? //1 Corinthians 3:16
UGH!
WHY!?
ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? *throws phone across the room*
Picture me at 11:30 p.m. doom scrolling Twitter instead of sleeping. This was me most nights. And lunch times. And at breakfast. And in between work breaks.
Last winter, I was stuck in this vicious cycle. Any free moment, I was checking my phone. I scrolled through my Twitter feed or I looked at Instagram stories. I kept telling myself that I needed to check social media to see what my friends were up to or to connect with loved ones. But truthfully, I had spiraled down a dark hole of snark, sass, and sarcasm (oh my!).
I found myself becoming angry, cynical, and exasperated. It was seeping into my personal life. I was frustrated with family members who don’t share my exact views. I was looking down upon those who have not come to share in my epiphanies. I started to surround myself with an echo chamber of shared experiences. It was toxic. My mind and heart were becoming a garbage heap.
I had made a New Year's resolution to take care of my body by eating better and exercising more regularly. I wanted my body to be a temple. I had spent nearly a decade either pregnant or breastfeeding, and I wanted to refocus on physical health.
But my emotional and spiritual health . . . WOMP WOMP. For Lent, I decided to give up Twitter. I cannot describe how hard those first weeks were. I did not realize how frequently I would grab my phone to open the app. I did it mindlessly. But after going cold turkey, I found myself more at ease. More forgiving. More gracious. More patient.
I changed my relationship with social media for the better.
My heart, mind, and body needed to be worthy as a dwelling place for God. It’s a daily effort, and I often slip up, but I’m working on it.
Sister, you are worthy of God’s love, and His Spirit dwells in you. How can you humble yourself before Him today in your words, deeds, and thoughts?
You are worthy of God’s love. // @substance_soulClick to tweet
Dr. Samantha Aguinaldo-Wetterholm is a wife and mom to four little ones and practices dentistry at a public health community center for low income families in the Bay Area, California. She (unashamedly) thinks ice cream is its own food group and does not leave the house without wearing sparkly earrings. She was a contributing author to All She Had. and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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