Snowballs and Social Media
One of the brethren at a recent stake conference made an interesting connection between Mary and Martha–and snowballs–and social media. Of course we all remember Martha being busy about needful things, but neglecting the most important thing. He then told a story about snowball fighting with his young son. His son was a small and very energetic target. Hard to hit. So the man decided to pick up two snowballs. One he lobbed in a high, slow arc. His boy stood transfixed, eyes on the snowball, making sure he was edged out of the way–but meanwhile, the man threw a snowball directly at him. Smack! The boy was only 6, so the tactic worked over and over and over. He did a funny little gesture on the stand, bobbing his head up and down as if repeatedly watching the arc of the snowball. And when he had all our attention with the gesture, he suddenly added swiping his finger up and down along with the head, as if scrolling. Social media does the same, he said. It fixates our attention on what outside forces want us to be fixated on.
Instead, look to Christ.
Elsewhere in the talk, he quoted President Nelson to the effect that the world is plenty wicked enough for the Second Coming. What’s missing is a kingdom of Saints righteous enough that they and the wicked world cannot coexist. We have the bandits, we have the cavalry ready to ride to the rescue, but no hostages for the rescue to free.
Ouch.
Rozy
March 26, 2025
I love the snowball story! Little children are so trusting (gullible). But I take exception to the Martha and Mary comparison. I have a totally different understanding of that story. Jesus wasn’t saying that we should never chose to serve and work, He was helping Martha to understand that when we have opportunities to be fed spiritually (especially by the Master Himself) we should “lay aside the things of this world and seek for the things of a better.” It’s a matter of priorities and timing, not that we should never prepare and partake of this world.
Church conferences are a good example. I’ve met church members who take a break from church on conference weekends so they can recreate, and/or spend time with families instead of sitting at the feet of prophets, apostles, and other church leaders and being fed spiritually. Priorities and timing!
E.C.
March 26, 2025
@G,
An apt comparison, and that last point was excellent.
@ Rozy,
We do indeed spend time with family watching conference, usually for the Sunday sessions; I find that I don’t get very much out of the talks initially because I’m watching hijinks ensue, but I consider the time spent with family to be its own reward, and if I can catch some of the words of the prophets, all the better.
sute
March 26, 2025
Great story. I hope my brothers and sisters start to see the news cycle of politics and politicians is formulated exactly for this. Be informed of true principles and vote accordingly. We don’t need to get sucked into the nonsense the media hypes up to sell eyeballs and the political administrations intentionally do to create engagement.
Rozy
March 26, 2025
@E.C. I was talking about families who go camping/boating/skiing or other recreational activities on stake or general conference weekends because they don’t have to “go to church” for regular meetings. Or families who don’t participate in conference because their children are “too young” and won’t get anything out of it. Maybe I’m being curmudgeony. I feel sorry for those family because by the time our children were teens I didn’t have to cajole them to attend or sit and watch conference, they just knew that was what we did from doing it since they were born. We had wonderful conference weekends together! I can stand before God and say that I did the best I could and have no regrets in that area.
Deevs
March 31, 2025
The brother speaking didn’t have a last name of Morris, did he? An elder on my mission told a very similar story in a zone conference about that same snowball fight tactic. I can’t remember what the analogy was supposed to be, but this was long before smart phones.