The Dangers of Social Media & How to Find Real Happiness
Mattthew 5: 10-12
Our Summer Olympics began two weeks ago and one of the high points for Team USA is that we have won a total of medals of 105 medals: 31 of those being gold. Simone Biles has earned 4 medals, 3 being gold. All of this has not come without difficulty for her personally; in fact, it has come at great cost. Not just the obvious time, hard work and commitment necessary but the toll this kind of commitment has taken on athletes like Simone Biles. In the background of all of this, she has suffered a great deal with mental health issues. Prior to the Olympics, she found it necessary to take a two-year break from to focus on herself and tend to these issues.
The strains of life for many of us can be difficult. Pressure can often be unbearable, and we could easily say she is not alone in her struggles. You must ask, with all her success, with so much to be proud of, how she could possibly have so many struggles. She has been the point of a great deal of criticism; even a target of hatred by many and she has been blasted all over social media. Her husband as well. Simone stayed in a recent interview that she credits her faith in God for her success. She said, “I don’t physically understand how I am even able to do it. It is a god given talent. But I continue to lean on my faith to overcome the adversity that has come my way.”
This is the setting for this message for what Jesus had to say. It’s a sermon that Jesus preached on the Mount of Beatitudes which is a hill in northern Israel; people came from all over; from 10 different cities to hear what Jesus had to say. They came largely because they had been hearing about this man named Jesus. Jesus had come teaching and preaching and healed every kind of disease. The paralyzed, the epileptic, the lame, the deaf, the blind, even those who were demon possessed. The gospel writer John reminds us that “Jesus did many other things. And if they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.” So, we know that even with all these individuals that he healed, there were many more the scripture does not even mention. In this message we call the sermon on the mouth, in this one section, versus 3 – 11, Jesus uses the word blessed nine times and each time the word blessed means happy. This would easily be the largest crowd by the way that Jesus would ever speak to. Even bigger than the feeding of the 5000. Jesus must have decided prior to this that with this opportunity to speak to so many people it would be very important to choose his topic very carefully. So, he decided to speak to them about what truly mattered to all of us. Happiness.
• Happier are those who are poor – and then he tells us why….
• Happy are those who mourn
• Happy are those who hunger and thirst for justice
• Happy are those who are merciful
• Happy are those whose thoughts are pure
• Happy are those who work for peace
Vvs. 10 – 12. Happiness is an elusive thing. We seem to find it and in the next minute it’s gone. I believe it is because of a very simple but profound truth. We are looking in the wrong place.
True Happiness is found in Christ alone.
Some of us have coping mechanisms in place; addictions perhaps that keep us distracted from the life we should have in Christ . There are many reasons these addictions / distractions are necessary to us because too many of us deal with depression, anxiety, grief, pain in general and we need some way of coping. Let me mention a few.
• Alcohol/drinking too much
• Recreational drugs
• Food/overeating
• Television
• Social media
There are many reasons these addictions / distractions are “necessary” to us because too many of us deal with depression, anxiety, grief, and pain in general. So, we need some way of coping. CS Lewis said in a book I’m reading this week, The Problem of Pain “pain insists upon being tended to. God whispers to our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: pain is like a megaphone to wake up a world that won’t listen. Now I don’t believe for a moment that God causes or sends us pain, but he certainly allows it. He is obviously in charge of all things. So how do we address all of this? It’s even more difficult when we understand how body and mind work together. It’s a matter of the soul. There are three components we all possess. Body, mind and spirit. They all work together. If the body is not well it changes our thinking. It can change the way we feel in our spirit. If the mind is depressed it affects the body. And vice versa. Good exercise can help control depression.
The National Library of Medicine says this: 43% of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress and 75 – 90% of all doctor’s visits are for stress – related ailments and complaints. So, here is some good and bad news for all of us. We can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It does not mean you will not experience stress, anxiety, depression – so forth. He will help you cope with all of it. So whatever unhealthy method you are using to deal with these matters.
• Alcohol
• Drugs to excess
• Food addictions
• recreational drugs
• and last but not least, Social media – your phone or computer are constantly open to Facebook, tick tock, Snapchat, Twitter, now called X, threads, Instagram and a whole gamut of others.
You may not know that on average individuals use social media 2 and a half hours every day. It can have devastating effects. And you, and especially your children, and your grandchildren are the target. So, what do we do with all of this? Our happiness will never be found in any of these things. Material things – things in general. Overeating. Medicating. There are perhaps many other issues we could address, even exercise. There are certainly sexual addictions which include pornography and many others I cannot address today. The truth is, we can basically become addicted to anything. But I want to deal with these four.
1. Addictions to material things because we tend to compare ourselves too much to others and the things they have. Social media only makes this worse because according to Facebook, everyone is living their best life. Nothing wrong. Wonderful marriage. Making money. New car. Kids that are perfect. And we want the same. We think, if I can have this or that, I can be like them. I mean, James has it. Thomas has it. They’re happy. So, yeah, I need it too.
2. Binge eating. Some eat too little. Most of us eat too much. Again, social media can be a culprit. Especially for women because society promotes the myth that women must be thin to be attractive. I am reminded that 1st Samuel 16:7 says, “do not look on his appearance or his height, or his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
3. Over medicating. We now have 200 deaths each day from fentanyl. Some on purpose. Some by accident. Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine. If you don’t know, it is the drug commonly used to put patients asleep during surgery. Now it has also become a recreational drug. Many others we could mention but let me say a few more things regarding social media.
JENNIFER MITCHELL
Jennifer Mitchell is a member of our congregation. She lost her son, Ian, to suicide. Social Unfortunately this was done on social media . He was bullied on Snapchat into playing Russian roulette . Her story is now being published in England and in Australia and is gaining attention in America of course. Here are some links to her story if you wish to use it. Just copy and paste into your browser. If you need further information about this story or have any questions, you can contact me at 727–359 – 8462 or at EaglePastor@Gmail.com.
https://www.fox13news.com/news/moms-to-teens-there-is-a-way-out
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jennifer-mitchell-1351572b_i-hope-you-all-enjoyed-the-interview-ians-activity-7120043971107540992-igyo
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pasco/ians-way-new-port-richey-teens-family-works-to-prevent-youth-suicides
4. Social Media. Cyberbullying, which is exactly what happened to Jennifer’s son, Ian, was bullied in a terrible way.
• Social media often creates social anxiety and depression. As I said earlier, we have played the comparison game. Pride is a dangerous thing. We overstate our accomplishments, overstate our possessions – people love to show off their new car, their new boat or their new wife. 😊 Many even edit the images to make themselves look even better. Facebook for instance, began with this idea. Mark Zuckerberg and a couple of college students launched it 20 years ago…. at Harvard to help classmates share their information with friends. Class schedules etc. Just to connect and make friends Now Facebook spews more hatred on social media than perhaps any other site. It is everywhere and your children and grandchildren are all over it. No one under 126 should be. And even at 16 it needs to be monitored. Because teenagers and children are being exposed. You might say well ,my kids and grandkids aren’t on social media. You’re probably fooling yourself. The guidelines are you must be 18 and have an email address. But Parents don’t have to sign off. It’s not like you must prove your age. Any 5-year-old can get an email and sign up in less than ten minutes. And you will never know it. This model of comparing ourselves to others usually results in us feeling less – not more – worse – not better. And our happiness begins to spiral.
So where do we find real happiness? One of the songs we sang today says it all. In Christ alone. This is found when we are committed to Jesus. (read)
In Christ alone, my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song,
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.
(we sang this song in our worship service)
• Phil. 4:11-13. I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
• We are blessed when we hear and obey what Jesus says. When we take the scripture to heart.
This week, perhaps the most popular musical artist on the planet had to cancel 5 concerts this week, affected a half a million young people. All because of death threats. Athletes like Simone Biles receive hatred as well. Listen if you are doing something right you are going to be criticized, hated. You will be pressured as well. You may say well I don’t even know these people. Ane because we don’t, we think “well this sort of thing will never happen in my family.” I am sure Jennifer thought that as well. Bless you. Jesus said, Matthew 5:10-12. Many times, Jesus said if you have ears to listen then listen. Parents, Grandparents, listen up. Lives depend on it.
