My Thinking and the Use of the Internet

“Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding” (Proverbs 2:2, NLT)

“My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel” (Proverbs 5:1).

God advises us to be careful thinkers who are attentive to wisdom and incline ourselves to understanding. Followers of Christ need to be clear, careful and intentional thinkers in order to better relate to God, invest in what He is doing and devote ourselves to the good of others. Many studies are now being conducted on how the use of the Internet affects our thinking skills. Research so far is inconclusive. But as you use the Internet and hear about these studies, ask yourself some penetrating questions.

Does my Internet use fill my mind with thoughts that help me love God and love others? Or am I using it for continual self-promotion and idle chatter?

Does my Internet use help me think well? How does it affect my reading ability? Can I still read books with depth? How is it affecting my need to reflect?

Does my Internet use promote shallowness of thinking in any way so that I mistake surface-level familiarity with deep understanding? Is it convincing me that because I have access to so many facts and figures that I’m smarter or wiser than I am?

These questions are useful to examine our Internet use in light of how it can – or can’t – help me become the person God want me to be. Internet is good. But just like many things that are good for us can be harmful if we use it excessively. This I’ve learned when I off my Internet for a day: “I realized that I’m not as important as I make myself out to be. The world goes on (Facebook world will goes on) even when I’m not connected to it.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

*Reference: Jan Johnson’s Abundant Simplicity.