We live in a day and age where we have so many conveniences. We don’t have to spend all day cooking and preparing in order to serve a warm supper. We don’t have to hunt and gather our food. We don’t have to go anywhere to fetch water. We don’t have to bring our clothes down to a water source to wash. The list goes on and on.

And at our fingertips, we have all the information we could ever need, plus lots we probably don’t even really want!

So then why, why oh why, do we all run around so busy declaring, “we just don’t have time!”

I recently asked my facebook readers what they thought the biggest thing is that eats up their time. The results were definitely in agreement, one of the biggest time wasters is the Intenet. (are you surprised? 😉 )

Why is that we live in a time in history that life is truly easier than any of our ancestors, yet we all run around being busy and wishing for more hours in the day?

With the ease of life these days we should have more time, not less. Therefore, I conclude that we are spending, or perhaps, “wasting” time in all the wrong places.

Clearly, one of the biggest time wasters these days is the Internet. At any moment of the day, we can see what all of our friends and family (plus perhaps that girl from math class in high school ) are doing. We can see pictures of their children, what they are eating for lunch, and where they are going on vacation. Now don’t get me wrong. I love the Internet! It connects me with so many people that I would not be in contact otherwise. I work on the Internet! It has opened doors in my life beyond my imagination. I don’t want to live without it and the truth is I don’t have to.

The problem doesn’t lie within the Internet itself. It is purely a matter of being a good steward of our time.

Would you spend hours in a coffee shop knowing you had other things to do? Or hours watching TV in front of your children? I’m guessing not. So then why does it seem we can be on the Internet for so much time each day? Or worse, while we should be tending to our families, home, etc.

We are all only allotted 24 hours in each day. Same as it’s always been. Our ancestors had the same amount of time. (Doing all those things I listed above mind you.)

So, what we do with our time matters. As someone who works on the Internet, I know the struggle. It’s real. The articles call you. The Instagram feed is entertaining. The facebook page gives us an escape from reality. And because it is so easily accessible, it almost is more difficult to resist. 

But I have a solution I think anyone can benefit from.

Set hours to be online (or minutes.) I set time for myself before school time (after my personal Bible time, and NEVER before.) I try to be strict with this. My biggest downfall can be the alerts on my phone. I am a work in progress and know that I need to turn those off. Just keeping it real here.

Let’s hold ourselves accountable. Find a friend that can truly hold you accountable if they see you on the Internet at times other than those you have set for yourself. Find friends you can trust. We all need each other to help us and not condemn us!

Schedule your Internet time like anything else. Set a time limit and stick to it.

These things sound so easy, but yet many of us still have may have an issue. This is where we move from being good stewards of our time to practicing self-control. 

Self-control is a fruit of the spirit, so if we are lacking in this area, then our spirit may need tending to. If we truly can’t stay within the boundaries set for the Internet, then we need to go to the Word, pray, and spend even more time with the Lord. 

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

Once we are controlled by the Sprit, we desire the things of this world less. We are also able to practice self-control when we are filled with His truths. So if we say we just “can’t” control our time wasters, it may be time to evaluate your spirit and fill your mind with truths instead of time wasted on the Internet.