God created us to live in relationship with Him and with one another. That is why we cannot replace real relationships with a virtual world.
by rev Barend van der Westhuizen
Have you noticed how often people are on their phones? Couples at restaurants, parents at sports fields, or families in the same house – everyone together, yet each one is busy on a screen. We may be physically present, but often we are emotionally absent.
Phones pull our attention away from the people God has placed around us. Families, friends and communities drift apart. We forget how to listen, care, share silence, or enjoy one another’s company.
God’s design for our relationships
God made us for relationship with Him and each other, not with a screen. This also applies to worship. Church is not something we simply watch online; we are the body and family of Christ, called to meet together (Hebrews 10:24–25).
John understood this when he wrote to Gaius:
I have much to write to you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.
3 John 1:13–14 (NIV)
Real presence mattered to John. Writing was helpful, but it was no substitute for meeting in person. Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 reminds us of the same truth:
Two are better than one… If either of them falls down, one can help the other up… A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
We need each other. Not just to share space, but to care for one another.
Can you put down your phone?
To love others well we must be truly present. Can you listen without checking every notification? Can you put your phone aside while driving, supporting your children, or spending time with friends?
God is always with us
Jesus came to earth for our good. He died and rose again, and the Father sent the Holy Spirit to be with us. The Spirit points us to Jesus so that we may live in restored relationship with God and one another.
May the gospel renew us to live out God’s design for relationships – even in a smartphone world.
