This is a difficult blog entry to write.
Earlier today, I was at the YMCA playing pickleball with my family. If you’ve never played pickleball, I highly recommend it. It’s a fun sport that requires only a paddle, a ball, and people to play with. More than that, it’s a social sport. It creates opportunities for conversation, laughter, fellowship, and relationship.
While we were playing, I set my phone down on the edge of the gym. When it was time to leave, I gathered my things and walked away, completely forgetting that I had left my phone behind.
A few moments later, I realized I didn’t have it and went back to retrieve it. As I picked it up, a man who had been playing pickleball nearby looked at me and said, “You feel naked without that thing, don’t you?”
His comment hit me harder than he probably realized.
Because the truth is, he was right.
I have an unhealthy relationship with my smartphone.
As I reflected on that moment, I came across an article by Tony Reinke on Desiring God titled Smartphone Addiction and Our Spiritual ADD. One statement especially stood out to me:
“Our spiritual condition is one of having spiritual ADD.”
That phrase resonated with me because smartphones aren’t just changing what we do; they are changing how we pay attention. I find myself constantly checking notifications, emails, news, videos, and social media. The result is that my mind rarely slows down long enough to simply be present with God.
The article also notes that “the nature of digital communication is that we are endlessly distracted.”
If I’m honest, that describes much of my struggle. My phone isn’t necessarily causing me to do sinful things, but it often distracts me from the most important things.
I know this is a challenging subject because nearly all of us carry these devices everywhere we go.
I remember when smartphones first started becoming popular. I told myself I wasn’t going to get one because I knew it would be distracting. That was probably somewhere around 2010 or 2012. Looking back, part of me wonders if life would have remained much simpler had I stayed with a basic flip phone.
Now smartphones are everywhere. Every member of my family has one.
To be clear, smartphones can be incredibly useful tools. They allow us to make phone calls, send text messages, check email, manage schedules, run businesses, connect with people, access information, and accomplish countless tasks throughout the day.
But somewhere along the way, many of us stopped using the tool and started being used by it.
I hesitated to write this post because I don’t want to sound hypocritical. After all, I’m writing these words on my smartphone right now.
Some people might say, “Just use more self-control.”
Perhaps that’s true. Maybe some people can manage their devices more easily than others. I can’t speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself.
I am convicted.
I know my relationship with my smartphone is unhealthy.
There are times when I reach for it without even thinking. Moments of silence get filled with scrolling. Spare minutes get consumed by notifications, videos, emails, and endless digital distractions.
One of the most challenging observations from Reinke’s article is this:
“For all of the friends we have on Facebook, this is a lonely world.”
I was literally standing in a gym surrounded by family, conversation, laughter, and relationships. Yet I felt a moment of panic because I couldn’t find my phone. That realization was sobering.
That’s why I’ve seriously considered switching back to a flip phone.
Remember those old phones? They did exactly what phones were originally designed to do—make calls and send messages. Life seemed slower. Simpler. Less cluttered.
Maybe I’m romanticizing the past a little, but I can’t help wondering if we have traded something valuable for constant connectivity.
The deeper issue isn’t the phone itself.
The issue is the condition of my heart.
The Lord commanded:
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)
Jesus said:
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
James wrote:
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” (James 4:8)
As I examine my own life, I have to ask myself a hard question:
Am I truly seeking the Lord with all my heart if I constantly turn to my phone before I turn to Him?
That’s not a question I’m asking anyone else. It’s a question I’m asking myself.
Another challenging passage of Scripture says:
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” (James 4:4)
Those are strong words. Yet they remind me that anything competing for my devotion deserves honest examination.
Perhaps the goal is not to throw away every smartphone or reject technology altogether. Smartphones can be wonderful tools when used wisely.
The real question is whether we are being mastered by them.
As Reinke writes, we must learn to use technology from a God-centered perspective rather than allowing it to control us.
That is the challenge before me. Not simply using my phone less, but loving Jesus more. Not merely reducing screen time, but increasing time spent in God’s presence. Not allowing a device to occupy a place in my heart that belongs to Christ alone.
Again, I know this is a difficult topic.
I’m not writing from a position of having it all figured out. I’m simply trying to be real.
I love the Lord. I desire to seek Him. I want my heart to belong fully to Him.
So I’m curious:
Do you ever feel like your smartphone has too much influence in your life?
Have you ever considered going back to a flip phone or setting stronger boundaries with technology?
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments. Let’s have an honest conversation about a struggle that many of us face but few of us talk about.
If this post encouraged or challenged you, please consider subscribing to New Life Identity for more devotionals and biblical reflections on walking with Christ in everyday life.
