Teched by Technology by Martin Wiles

“Teched (touched) in the head” is an old Southern expression meaning someone is either mentally challenged or acting irrationally.

According to the Los Angeles Times, many folks in the United Kingdom (and I’m sure the world) are “teched.” In 2008, the U. K. Post Office coined the term “nomophobia” (no mobile phone) to describe the fear of being without a cell phone. Of 1,000 people surveyed, 66% said they feared losing their phone or being without it (separation anxiety). Another 63% said they would climb through trash to find it, and 25% said they would physically fight a thief to retrieve it. (“Do you suffer from nomophobia?” Facts & Trends Summer 2013: 9. Print.)

I have nomophobia, and I know many others who suffer from it as well. My wife and I recently ate at a local restaurant. Two tables away sat a grandmother and granddaughter who were so engrossed in texting and searching the internet that neither could muster more than a few words to the other. Victims of nomophobia.

Any item or person that climbs ahead of God leads to a phobia, but relinquishing it for Christ cures it. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:29 NLT).

Technology is wonderful and certainly makes life easier. It, like anything else, can be used for good or evil—and can also be mis-prioritized. Using our tech gadgets to help us serve God more efficiently and share the message of his love is admirable. But when the gadgets tear us away from family time and separate us from one another, our practices should be re-thought.

Don’t let your gadgets lead to a phobia. Find creative ways to use them in God’s service.

Prayer: All Wise God, guide us to give up or re-prioritize anything that gets in the way of loving and serving You.

Know someone who's stressed? Why not pass this devotion along to them?