In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23

Almost weekly, I have the pleasure of taking my younger grandchildren to the library for story time. Yesterday there were fourteen children and nine adults (I counted). Most were moms, but there was one dad and a babysitter with several children.

The librarian did a great job dramatically reading books about the alphabet (think about how hard that might be). She is gifted with the children.

I was pretty impressed that only three adults were more focused on their phones than the children or the stories and even then, it was for short stints like they felt guilty about it. They would check the phone and put it away, and repeat. Two of them actually took calls which I will assume were important.

The one I could see from behind was only going to Facebook.

As I was coming home and the “grands” were singing the ABC song and talking about “Chicka Chicka – Boom, Boom!” I thought of this verse, “But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.” 2 Timothy 2:16, and I was convicted.

You see, when I am at the library I can keep my phone out of sight and be “all in.” However, I am as tempted as anyone to engage in “idle babblings” (and “idle chatter” Proverbs 14:23). Though I rarely engage in it on Facebook, I have to confess that I read it.

There are some good things, and some not so good, that come from time spent on social media. There are articles that teach a lot about different topics. If we are discerning in what we read, this may help us to grow in wisdom and understanding. If we are not discerning, it may cause us to be led astray. Not all false teachers stand before us in the flesh, they just keep writing!

As time goes on it has become more and more obvious that social media sites are little more than gathering spots for us to engage in “idle chatter.” Little good ever comes of it. It may lead to poverty in the family by robbing valuable time from those we should be caring for.

Proverbs 14:23 points out that labor has a reward. Idleness leads to poverty. 2 Timothy 2:16 assures us that if we continue to engage in “idle babbling” it will increase our ungodliness.

Sigh. This is not news to any of us. We know these truths but the temptations are great.

For the sake of our children, for the sake of our husbands, and for the sake of our homes and works (Titus 2:3-5), will we exercise self-control with regard to social media? Will we do it when we sit in the library, when we drive along the roads, and when we lie down and when we rise up?