ADDICTIONS
Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth» (Psalm 124:7,8).
I(J) once had a student who was hooked on video games. He started in an innocent way by playing video games to relax from the tension of his studies. But in the end, he spent entire night trying to win more points or defeating the «enemies.» As a result, his biological clock became messed up and he was sleepy during the day while he played at night. He had no time for personal hygiene, and he neglected his studies. He was stuck on the computer in such a way that he would ask his friends to bring him food to his bedroom so he would not have to leave the fight and win the game. It took him months to go back to his normal life with professional help.
The existence of the computer, tablet, mobile phone and other communication gadgets helps a lot in making the following work easier: accounting tasks, data organization, information searching, doing research, among others. With the Internet, one can sell, buy, communicate with people who are far away; we can gather all kinds of information instantly and enjoy leisure. But this useful tool has also trapped many people by taking away their time, energy and freedom. According to Weinstein and Lejoyeux, the prevalence of Internet addiction in the United States and Europe is between 1.5% and 8.2%, and the problem is growing.
These are what Internet addicts express in an Internet addicts forum: «I started by taking a break and watching some videos on YouTube to distract myself from my homework, but these minutes became hours;» «I simultaneously use forums, I’m always downloading something, watching videos on YouTube and I can’t detach myself;» «I do the basic to survive, the rest of the time I spend in front of the computer; “I can’t stop for one minute without texting or checking Facebook . . . sometimes I don’t receive anything and I text myself;» ‘I spend so many hours in front of the computer that I gained five kilos in two months . . . it’s a tough addiction, I don’t want to be the slave of the keyboard!»
Today’s Bible verse promises us that, with the Lord’s help, we can be freed from the hunter. The Internet addiction is for the modern man as the net is for the bird: if the winged creature falls into it, it cannot tear it by itself, but it has the assured hope of freedom from the heavenly Father.
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Taken from: Daily Devotions for Adults 2020
“A Cheerful Heart Is Good Medicine”
From: Julian Melgoza-Laura Fidanza
Colaboradores: Yudith C & Alejandra Zavala
