Stop letting the algorithm show you what’s cool—and look to the fruit instead

I want to challenge us to think about this: what if the things we are meant to focus on haven’t changed for a few thousand years? What if the Fruit of the Spirit, which is meant to grow and flourish until the branches are weighed down by the abundance, is supposed to be what we have to show for our Faith?

Inspired? Create and share by tagging @DaySpringCards.

I’m embarrassed to say that I spend entirely too much time on my phone. I work in social media, and I spend a lot of time on devices as it is, but I also find that in my spare time I’m drawn to the screen. Living in this day and age, it is easy to do, but I’ve noticed something lately that has seeped its way through my eyes into my brain and maybe even into my soul: one scroll around your feed will reveal the human condition. You see an image of a bombing, followed by an image of someone refinishing furniture, and then a weird animation someone did of an AI character talking out of sync with the voice it’s supposed to have.

One can hardly tell what is good and what is real and what is praiseworthy.

And unfortunately, our faith often gets pulled into the algorithm.

The most popular topics rise to the surface. I find that suddenly everyone is talking about rest or body image or joy or suffering. One person says something about a topic and then it goes viral, causing all of us to consider the importance of that topic. This is not a bad way to experience the world around us. This is how conversation and trending topics have always worked, but now it’s tucked neatly into our pockets on a device that doesn’t have a soul.

Lately, I’ve been noticing that outrage is getting a whole lot of time with the microphone.

We are offended at many things, and we call ourselves victims to the injustice around us. A neighbor stole a package off our porch, and we feel a need to log into the community Facebook page and post about it in a passive aggressive (or straight up aggressive) way. We see the way that somebody raises their child and feel the need to tell them how we would do it differently. Or perhaps we look at someone’s fashion choices and decide that it is best for us to offer our (unsolicited) insights. We believe ourselves to be experts—and passionate ones, at that.

As I have been considering this most recent wave of rage-bait and cynicism, a very quiet voice has been whispering in the background over and over again a surprising series of words: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I don’t see a whole lot of the “fruit of the spirit” that Galatians 5:22-23 talks about in these posts.

When we act on our impulses or follow trends, we don’t often question whether those trends are cultivating goodness in our hearts or patience in our behavior or peace in our minds. We consume something without considering its spiritual nutritional quality.

This is very hard to fight against. I get the draw of wanting to talk about what everyone else is talking about. It can feel like the internet is a water cooler and if you didn’t watch the most recent episode of that show everyone’s watching, you don’t really have much to contribute.

But I want to challenge us to think about this: what if the things we are meant to focus on haven’t changed for a few thousand years? What if the fruit of the Spirit, which is meant to grow and flourish until the branches are weighed down by the abundance, is supposed to be what we have to show for our faith?

Am I known for being funny or clever or impatient or easily annoyed? Am I known for getting loud about the inconveniences of my day? Or am I known for exhibiting fruit of the Spirit? Am I known for love and peace and joy and self-control in an age of go-on-a-rant-and-press-send?

There are lots of things out there that are “cool.” It is cool to make something with your hands. It is cool to dress your kids up in matching outfits and stand on a beach with a photographer and pretend that this is where you always hang around in matching outfits. It is cool to cheer for the team that’s doing the best. It is cool to know what happened at the latest award ceremony or have tickets to the most recent tour or have streamed the most recent album by today’s musical superstars. But this is what I’ve been telling myself when I feel the need to be cool in the eyes of the algorithm:

Love is cool, too. Joy is cool, too. Peace is cool, too. Patience is cool, too. Kindness is cool, too. Goodness is cool, too. Faithfulness is cool, too. Gentleness is cool, too. Self-control is cool, too.

Do not be fooled by others telling you what the latest trends are because as Christians, the trend we should always follow and repost and share is that of cultivating a life which reflects the character of our God.

Blessed are those who scroll and then stop, for theirs is a treasure that does not go out of fashion or get buried in the search history. No, theirs is the kingdom of heaven, where love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control make us more like Christ and carry us to Eternity.

A black and white portrait of DaySpring contributing author Melissa Zaldivar.

Melissa Zaldivar Sawyer is a social in the world of academics and an academic in the world of socials. She's an author and podcast host with a B.A. in Communications and an M.A. in Theology. She loves a good sandwich, obscure history, and wandering around New England antique shops. Find her work at http://www.melissazaldivar.com.