A gooey entanglement holds me still. I am stuck. Not only can I not move, I have zero willpower to do so. I saw it coming. On Facebook I scrolled unseeingly through posts I didn’t care about and watched videos I had little hankering for. On Twitter I followed trending topics just because. Boring! Instagram was better. Reel after reel drew me in. And then on YouTube the shorts got me high. I consumed social media “content” like food. No! Social media feed consumed me like fire consumes dry leaves! Each scroll, each reel, each short was a gooey strand clamping down on me. Now I am entangled, and I can’t even fight. I want to, but I don’t want to. Do you know what I mean? I desperately want to get out of this unfreedom, this lack of control. But there is not a single ounce of strength left in me. Worse, I am comfortable in the discomfort. It is like falling into a ditch and finding that the stinky mud in there is nice, warm, and has an alluring fragrance. You want to get out and clean yourself up and go on with your journey, but the warmth is so enticing that you just find yourself sinking deeper. Willingly and unwillingly.

I get up from the seat. Should I work out or pray or find something to eat or make myself a warm beverage or just watch that “Friends” clip for the thousandth time? I can’t decide. My to-do list screams at me.

I run to the bathroom, brush my teeth, get dressed, and go out for a walk. The gooey strands start coming off. I pray as I walk – Abba Father, purify my mind in the holy blood of Jesus, and fill my mind with the Holy Spirit. The strands fall off one after another… I am a new man. How long will I maintain my newness?